What types of charging sockets are there for electric cars?

It is not always easy to find your way around the different cables and sockets available for charging an electric vehicle.
The cable supplied with your electric vehicle will have a connector with two plugs: one for the car's input or socket, and one for the electric vehicle's charging socket at a charging point. In some cases, the cable is integrated into the charging point, a little like a petrol pump fuel nozzle.

What are the cables for alternating current (AC) charging?

Cables with the following plugs are supplied for alternating current (AC) charging:

• Mode 1 and Mode 2 - Schuko plug: the simplest solution for charging an electric vehicle, and one that uses the same Schuko plug as household appliances. Mode 1, dedicated to micro-mobility vehicles, uses a direct connection between vehicle and socket. Mode 2, suitable for electric cars, provides a control box between car and socket to charge the vehicle safety

• Mode 3 - Yazaki plug type 1: this is a standard for AC charging in Japan and the US, but only on the vehicle side, since the cables are integrated into the charging point. The maximum charge power is 7.4 kW, single-phase.

• Mode 3 - Mennekes type 2 plug: the type 2 plug is the standard for AC charging in Europe, except in France. In this case, we can have single-phase or three-phase charging up to 22 kW, using the charging point socket.

• Mode 3 - Scame type 3A plug:  the type 3A plug is generally used for microcars and mopeds with batteries. Particularly in city centres, a 3A socket can be found in many charging stations, usually alongside a type 2 electric car charging socket.

What are the cables for direct current (DC) charging?

For direct current (DC) car charging, with power ratings of 50 kW and above, the cables are also connected to the charging station and the corresponding connectors are as follows:

• Mode 4 - CHAdeMO connector: the CHAdeMO socket is used in Europe for fast charging of some older vehicles from Asia. It is a standard that has so far found more application outside the Europe.

• Mode 4 - Combined Charging System (CCS) COMBO1 and CCS COMBO2 connectors. The Combined Charging System (CCS) COMBO2 connector is the main standard adopted in Europe for DC charging, as it was the European Union's choice for boosting the deployment of fast and ultrafast charging infrastructures. The CCS COMBO 2 cable allows both direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) charging, but in the latter case the power does not exceed 43 kW.