Electric vehicle owners often face confusion about charging connectors. What is a CCS2 charger? How does it differ from the commonly used Type 2 connector, and why do both exist in today’s EV landscape?
Type 2 and CCS2 are closely related, with CCS2 building upon the Type 2 design by adding fast DC charging capabilities. Understanding these connectors is key for choosing the right ccs2 electric car charger.
What Is a Type 2 Connector?
The type 2 connector, known as the Mennekes connector, which was designed by that company, is the standard plug for electric vehicles charging in Europe, as defined by the IEC 62196-2 standard. It is capable of connecting to both single-phase and three-phase AC (alternating current) charging sources, which offers a great deal of flexibility for the home, as well as public charging stations.
Type 2 connectors can handle charging currents up to 63 A for single-phase (up to 14.5 kW) and up to 63 A for three-phase (up to 43.5 kW), although typical public AC charging stations deliver between 7 kW and 22 kW.
The vast majority of electric vehicles in Europe, including all Teslas, are fitted with a Type 2 charging port, making it the common choice for regular, everyday AC charging at home, work, and public AC charging stations.
What Is a CCS2 Charger?
The CCS2 (or Combined Charging System, Type 2) is a universal charging system that takes the Type 2 and adds two extra pins for DC charging, as outlined in the IEC 62196-3 standard. This allows for a single port to be used for both AC and DC charging, increasing the flexibility and freedom of vehicle connection.
By connecting the vehicle’s CCS2 port to a CCS2 EV charging station, the vehicle can receive high-level DC power directly into the battery, commonly referred to as a CCS2 DC fast charger, or DC CCS2 charging point. These stations can provide power levels ranging from approximately 50 kW to 350 kW, meaning charging times are dramatically reduced compared to most AC charging points.
The CCS2 system retains the seven pins of the Type 2 connector for AC charging and communication, but adds two larger pins below that are the heart of the DC system. This, therefore, facilitates fast charging, making it the most popular choice for long journeys, or people who need to recharge faster.
How Do Type 2 and CCS2 Coexist?
Type 2 and CCS2 coexist in the marketplace because they solve different problems and are compatible with each other. Vehicles with the CCS2 charging point can take both a standard Type 2 AC charger as well as a CCS2 DC connector due to the design of the top of the CCS 2 plug. For an AC charge, the CCS2 charger uses the normal Type 2 protocol, but for DC it uses the combined protocol, which is why there are extra pins.
This design means that if you’ve got a CCS2 car, whether the plug you’re presented with is AC (at a lower rate, for home, work, or whatever) or it’s the DC full bore—what some people call a rapid charger— you’re capable of plugging into all of them, by having heated up CCS2 out there. The reason for this is because we’ve got this common bit.
What Are the Main Advantages of Using CCS2 Over Type 2 Chargers?
If you have a CCS2 electric vehicle and a CCS2 charger, you can use these high-power CCS2 DC public charging stations to charge much faster. That’s because while public Type 2 AC charging stations only deliver up to 22 kW, many homes are only 7 kW, or even 3 kW, CCS2 DC chargers can deliver anywhere from 50 kW to 350 kW.
This means that EV owners can typically charge their cars from 10% to 80% in 20-30 minutes at rapid public CCS2 DC charging stations. This is really useful in a situation where you’re on a long journey, and you want to turn up, charge 20 minutes, have a coffee, and then carry on. It makes them much more practical and a lot more like a conventional car, rather than something with 500 miles of range!
How Does the Cost of Charging with CCS2 Compare to Type 2?
Typically, if you charge from a rapid charger like this, they’re much more expensive per kilowatt-hour to charge from something like this than they are at home. This is because rapid chargers are not only expensive to install, but they are also quite complex, and require a lot of kw ever hour.
Additionally, the rapid charging stations are very expensive to run. This means that it costs a lot of money to charge, but it also costs a lot of money to run! This is why people charge so much to charge the things! This is why it typically costs so much to charge from a rapid charge point.
What Are the Specific Differences Between the Charging Process of CCS2 and Type 2?
The two are different because one is A/C and the other is D/C, and they differ in terms of how many kw of power you can get into your car. I hope this article helps.
●AC Charging, at a charging station that offers AC charging for your car, actually uses alternating current power, that is then passed into the onboard charger that all electric vehicles have, in order to produce direct current power. This charging power is limited by the onboard charger in your car (most electric cars in Europe are within the 3.6 kW and 22 kW range) and the power output of the particular charger that you’re plugged into. This is a slower process, but great for being at home overnight or sitting at an office all day.
●Charging from a CCS2 charger at a public charge point provides the electricity direct to the battery at very high power rates, typically 50 to 350 kW, the amount of power being drawn is managed by the vehicle itself and the charger at the other end. This leads to much reduced charging times.
What Are the Differences in the Plug Structure of CCS2 and Type 2?
●The Type 2 connector is a seven-pin connector that is designed specifically for providing alternating current to a charging vehicle.
●Three for AC power phases: L1, L2, L3 （AC Phase 1, AC Phase 2, AC Phase 3)
●One for neutral: N (AC Neutral)
●One for earth: PE （Protective Earth）
●Two for communication: Proximity Pilot (PP) and Control Pilot (CP)
●The CCS2 plug has the same seven pins as the Type 2 plug but has an additional two pins at the bottom for high-power DC charging.
●DC+ and DC- pins: Carry high-power DC current directly to the battery during fast charging.
This means that the car can be charged with either an old-style Type 2 charger or a new CCS2 charger.
The Future of Type 2 and CCS2
As the electric vehicle industry continues to grow, these rapid chargers are going to play an increasingly important role because they are the only thing that can provide the vehicle with enough power to charge quickly. This is critical for people traveling long distances and charging often.
Type 2 chargers, however, remain a major part of the charging network. This is particularly the case for charging vehicles at home, work, and public places where they are going to sit for several hours. They will remain the most important type of charging in these applications.
The government and manufacturers are likely to continue promoting both of these standards for car charging. These two different standards together will enable people to charge their cars quickly and easily. It’s not as simple as just putting a new charger in. People have the ability to plug and unplug as required.
Consequently, understanding the difference between these two standards is fundamental in order to avoid any confusion when you plug in your car. This helps when you’re choosing an EV charge point.
