Car :: CCS, CHAdeMO, NACS — What's the Difference Between EV Charging Connectors?

Hello everyone.

 

Today's post is about EV charging connector types.

 

Have you ever wondered why EV charging plugs look different depending on where you charge?

 

I work on charging systems for electrified equipment, so I get this question a lot from people around me. In a previous post I covered the difference between slow (AC) and fast (DC) charging speeds, so today I want to go one step further and focus on the connector types themselves.

 

Globally, EV charging connectors can be grouped into roughly five types: Type 2 (AC), CCS1, CCS2, CHAdeMO, and the recently fast-growing NACS. Since the standard differs by region, even at a fast-charging station, the connector you can actually plug into often depends on your vehicle.

 

Here's a quick comparison table of each connector's key features.

 

 

Let's start with CCS1 and CCS2. Both are "Combo" style connectors, meaning they take an AC connector and add two extra DC pins for fast charging.

 

CCS1 is used mainly in North America and is built on the Type 1 (J1772) connector, while CCS2 is used in Europe and Korea, among other places, and is built on the Type 2 (7-pin) connector. The underlying communication protocol (ISO 15118, etc.) is essentially the same for both, but the physical shape differs, so they aren't cross-compatible without an adapter.

 

Next is NACS (North American Charging Standard), the connector everyone's talking about right now. It started as Tesla's proprietary connector used only on its own Supercharger network, but things changed when Tesla opened up the design in November 2022.

 

Then in June 2023, SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) formally adopted NACS as the "SAE J3400" standard. Major automakers including Ford, GM, Rivian, and Hyundai announced they would adopt NACS, and it's now becoming the dominant standard in North America.

 

Here's a timeline showing how the standards evolved.

 

 

CHAdeMO, on the other hand, is a fast-charging standard led by Japanese automakers like Nissan, Toyota, and Mitsubishi. It was once widely used around the world, but new installations have dropped sharply in recent years, and it's reportedly being gradually replaced by CCS and NACS.

 

So what about Korea? Korea reportedly uses Type 2 (7-pin AC) for slow charging and DC Combo (CCS1-based) for fast charging as its standard. CHAdeMO chargers were installed alongside these in the past, but newer charging infrastructure is now built mainly around the DC Combo format.

 

Here's an overview of which connector dominates in each region.