Which connectors are there?

Modern electric cars all have the same standard, this is called CCS ("Combined Charging System"). This has the advantage that every car can charge at every charging station and every charging cable fits everywhere. So it does not matter if I buy the charging cable for my smart car from smart or from another provider.

This standardized plug also has the advantage of checking both the car and the cable before and during each charging process, as well as other peripheral conditions, and stops charging immediately in the event of a fault, even before something could happen. That's why you can safely charge your car even in the pouring rain. In contrast to refueling, literally every little child can charge an electric car. Thanks to it being standardized, charging of electric cars is completely safe, it is not impossible to break something. Exactly there fore is the communication between a charging station and car.

What is combined with CCS?

CCS is combining, AC charging with DC charging, the technical background does not matter here, for us users it means: The cars that have CCS sockets can accept both AC (Type 2 plug) and DC (CCS plug) charging. (-> more about AC and DC chargers)

Slow charging means you can charge with up to 22 kW. That corresponds to approximately 130 km per hour. However, most cars do not come with more than a 11 kW-charger (65 km/h).

Fast charging refers to charging power of up to 350 kW. It allows up to 1,750 km per hour. This means that it takes rarely more than 30 minutes because by then the battery is already charged again.

Good to know:
Ultimately, the car dictates how fast it can be charged, both during slow charging and during fast charging. Just because the charging station can provide 350kW does not mean that the car can charge so fast. If you want to know what your car can do, you can ask the dealer or contact me via a direct message.
And do not worry, if the charging station can charge faster than the car, you can still charge there no problem. The charging station then charges the car as fast as the car can handle it.

Pratically dead: CHAdeMO. This is an Asian standard that was actually intended for the industry. It's not prevail in Europe. This connection can only charge fast and cars need a second plug for slow charging (at home).
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Type 2 can be found practically everywhere, type 2 has the advantage of being conveniently and cheaply set up a charging station with it. Everyday life is very much about type 2 because you do not want to continue in 30 minutes, also the domestic wallbox has type2.

As can be seen in the graphic above, the top part of the CCS connector is for type2. Plug in and start charging.

For many type 2 charging stations you still have to bring your own cable, this is already included in the purchase price of many cars.

Note:

Type 2 and type 1 are working exactly the same, type 2 can charge with up to 3 phases while type 1 can charge with up to 1 phase

CCS is everywhere where you want to charge fast. First, of course, at the roads of our highways, but also, for example, at supermarkets and other facilities where you do not spend several hours.

Fast charging stations are all already equipped with a cable, so we do not need to bring any cables with us.

Note:

Here shown is the European Standart for CCS, it's based on the design of the type 2 connector. Everything said about it here is the same for CCS based on the type 1 connector. (Combo 1)

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