Electric vehicle charging connector types

EV connectors & inlet types around the world

Electric vehicles are taking the road—erm... the world— by storm, but many drivers are feeling a bit confused with all the EV charger plug types available. Telling charger connector types apart might be tricky at first, but through this guide, we are going to try and simplify these EV connectors and inlets as best as we can. Basically, only five types are truly relevant today:

• North American Charging Standard (Tesla)
• Type 1 & CCS1
• Type 2 & CCS2
• GB/T (alternating current) & GB/T (direct current)
• CHAdeMO

Electric cars either have two inlets or a hybrid inlet that supports both AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current) charging. EV batteries store and use direct current electricity, while homes supply alternating current electricity. When you charge an electric car at home, the onboard charger must convert AC to DC, which limits the charging speed. Commercial rapid chargers provide DC directly to the battery, bypassing this conversion and enabling much faster charging.

Click here for a world map showing the spread of EV charging connector types.

Click here for a detailed list of the countries of the world with their respective EV connectors and inlets.

EV connectors & inlet types used in North & Central America

In North and Central America, the most common EV plug for AC charging is the Type 1 connector (J1772), which is widely used by non-Tesla vehicles and provides slower charging at home or public stations. For rapid DC charging, the Combined Charging System Type 1 (CCS1) is standard for most automakers, but Tesla's proprietary North American Charging Standard (NACS) is increasingly adopted across brands, offering both AC and DC capabilities in a compact design and integrating with Tesla's Supercharger network. It is expected that Tesla's NACS, with its compact plug design, will eventually become the standard.

EV connectors & inlet types used in Europe, South America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa

The Type 2 connector is the most commonly used standard worldwide for AC charging. It typically delivers slower charging speeds, suitable for home use or motorway service stations. For rapid DC charging at public locations such as shopping malls, supermarkets, and retail parks, the Combined Charging System Type 2 (CCS2) is employed.

EV connectors & inlet types used in Japan

In Japan, cars usually have two separate inlets: a Type 1 inlet for slow AC charging and a CHAdeMO inlet for rapid DC charging. CHAdeMO is the abbreviation for the rather enigmatic sounding ‘Charge de Move’, one of the first DC rapid charging systems. Tesla’s proprietary connector and inlet (NACS) have recently become more popular and might even replace the CHAdeMO & Type 1 combination in the long term, but it is probably more likely that the newly developed Chinese-Japanese ChaoJi system (also called CHAdeMO 3.1) will eventually become standard.

EV connectors & inlet types used in China

The Chinese GB/T (Guobiao) is the national standard for electric vehicle (EV) charging in China, covering both AC and DC charging with distinct physical connectors. It is likely that in the long term the recently developed Chinese-Japanese ChaoJi system (also called CHAdeMO 3.1) will eventually become the new standard.