Last updated: 9 January 2026
CCS Type 1 (Combined Charging System), often referred to as CCS Combo 1 or SAE J1772, is a charging plug and inlet standard predominantly used in electric vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico. (Click here for the full list of all countries that use EV charging connector Type 1)
It combines the standard Type 1 plug with two additional high-power DC charging pins. This configuration is the dominant DC fast-charging standard in North America.
The CCS1 connector incorporates the AC portion of the Type 1 design and adds two larger DC pins beneath it for rapid charging. CCS1 uses the same communication protocol as the Type 1 connector, allowing manufacturers to integrate both AC and DC charging into a single inlet rather than requiring separate ports.
CCS 1 can deliver up to 500 amps at 1000 volts DC, achieving a maximum charging capacity of 500 kW. For ultra-rapid charging, CCS 1 requires liquid-cooled cables to avoid damage caused by overheating. Inside those cables there are circulation channels containing a liquid coolant that absorbs and dissipates heat. The liquid cooling process involves a closed-loop system in which the coolant travels back and forth between the connector and the cooling unit of the charger.
A CCS 1 inlet on a car with the DC pins covered by a rubber flap.
During AC charging only the top half (the Type 1 part) of the inlet is used, leaving the lower two DC pins untouched. These pins are often covered by a rubber flap that you simply remove at the DC charging station before putting in the plug.
Until 2025, nearly all electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in North America were equipped with either a Type 1 or CCS1 connector, with Tesla being the sole exception due to its proprietary charging interface. Since then, however, a growing number of automakers have begun adopting Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) for all new models in the region, signalling a major shift in the market.
