EV Charging Standards / Plugs

[strudel]

I'm doing some further research on charging due to the free government home charging offer currently going, and I'm now a little confused.

There seem to be, unsurprisingly, several standards of connectors and charging modes. So a little wikipedia suggests the following plugs:

AC:

J1772 aka Type 1 (5 pin)
Mennekes/VDE aka Type 2 (7 pin)
EV Plug Alliance aka Type 3 (Some hybrid thing?)

DC:

CHAdeMO (Huge 4 Pin thing)
SAE Combo (Standardised DC tacked onto type 1/2 AC)
Supercharger (not sure?)

Which all can charge at different rates depending on what supply they're connected to.

What's confusing is different manufacturers seem to use different plugs. So what do you get installed at home, and how do you manage when out and about? It all seems a bit of a mess.

[adamfawsitt]

I would recommend you go with a Type II connection (untethered) for home which will allow the vast majority (>90%) of EVs to plug in and charge at your house. In terms of capacity you should look for a 32Amp unit unless you have 3 phase power in which case let me know and I will provide further information.

[mids]

strudel said:

So what do you get installed at home?

First of all forget about DC for your home installation. These are the high power 'rapid' chargers that you see at the motorway service stations. They cost a fortune and need more power than you have available at a domestic property.

For the AC chargepoint at your house there are really just the two options to consider and this depends on what EV you own.

J1772 (Type 1) : As used by Nissan, Mitsubishi, Peugeot & Vauxhall.
Mennekes (Type 2) : As used by the rest

Like Adam says, best to pay a bit more for the 32A option as it charges twice as fast as the free 16A units and even if your EV can't take full advantage of that it's good for future proofing.

strudel said:

how do you manage when out and about?

DC rapid charging : You have to make sure your EV is spec'd with a DC socket and which type you get depends on the manufacturer. CHAdeMO is a Japanese standard so Nissan, Mitsubishi & Peugeot(?). The SAE standard that you mention is called CCS and is used by Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche and VW. A lot of the newer rapid chargers are dual standard so have tethered cables for both CHAdeMO and CCS.

AC public charging : The Type 2 plug is the EU standard for public charging so this is what you find in the vast majority of places. If you own a car with the Type 1 socket (like an Ampera) you can buy a Type 1 to Type 2 converter cable to allow you to use these public charging points.

[strudel]

Good stuff

So it looks like a 32A type II for home, with a Type I/II conversion cable if the car isn't type II. Then when out and about just hope you can find the necessary plug for DC charging, which should be a type II combo. Looks like the EU has rumblings about banning CHAdeMO anyway: http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/13/eu-to-ban-chad...

[RochdalePioneers]

I've got a Leaf. Getting a 32amp type 2 socket fitted by Chargemaster. That means I need to use my type 1 to type 2 lead to charge at home using the unit, but means the socket is future proof to whatever type of plug becones standard on EVs

[mids]

Presume you know that if you do that you'll need an untethered charging unit as you can't daisy chain the cables? This means you'll either have to get the conversion cable out of your car every time you charge and then put it back when finished (ball-ache) or buy two cables (which cost more than the 32A charging unit).

I think if I already had a type 1 car I'd buy a type 1 tethered charging unit and if/when you change to a type 2 car in future just pay a sparky to change the cable/connector on the charging unit.

[NorthEast]

If I am understanding things correctly, if you have a charger with a type 1 tethered cable, the charging socket can be changed to a type 2 socket if required at a later date. A type 2 socket seems to be around the £90 mark.

[skilly1]

I would just get a tethered unit for you current car and worry about the future in the future. Prices for the actual wall mount units will be dropping and you can just replace the unit when needed as wiring will already be in place.

As already said you don't want to be getting a cable out of your car every time you need to plug in - its a bit of a faff.