Electric car charging compatibility
At public charging stations, you can charge your electric car if the station’s sockets and plugs are compatible with your charging cable. Below, we provide a brief overview of the different types of plugs and sockets.
Different plugs and sockets
Just like normal electrical outlets, charging stations can have different plugs and sockets depending on the country you are charging in, the make and origin of your car, and whether you are charging at an AC or DC charging station.
AC charging plugs and sockets
Currently there are two types of AC charging plugs and sockets, Type 1 and Type 2, with the former commonly found on North American and Japanese vehicles and the latter most common for the rest of the world. From the charging station side, all chargers in the UK, Europe and the US are equipped with a Type 2 socket, so even if your car has a different socket, you can easily charge with the right cable. Charging stations with a fixed cable may be an exception; in this case, you must always check whether the supplied plug fits into your car's socket.
DC charging plugs and sockets
As for DC fast chargers, cables are usually fixed. This means, you can charge your electric car at one of these charging stations depending on whether your vehicle’s socket is compatible with the charging plug provided. There are two types of DC charging plugs and sockets, CHAdeMO and CCS, with CHAdeMO most commonly found in Asian manufacturer vehicles, and CCS found in North American and European manufacturer vehicles.
If you would like to read more on electric car charging plugs and sockets, then head on over to our blog that covers the subject in more detail here.
