Which charging cables are available for charging electric cars?
Mode 2 charging cable
Mode 2 charging cables are available in a wide range of variants. The Mode 2 charging cable for connection to a standard household socket is often supplied by the car manufacturer at the factory. This means that electric car drivers can at least initially use the household socket for emergency charging. The communication between the electric car and the charging connection is handled by a box that is connected between the vehicle plug and the connection plug (ICCB, in-cable control box).
Mode 3 charging cable
The Mode 3 charging cable is a connecting cable between the charging station and the electric car. In Europe, the type 2 plug has become the standard. So that electric cars can charge with both type 1 and type 2 plugs, charging stations are often equipped with a type 2 socket. To charge your electric car, you need either a Mode 3 charging cable from Type 2 to Type 2 (e.g. for Renault ZOE) or a Mode 3 charging cable from Type 2 to Type 1 (e.g. for Nissan Leaf). Mode 3 charging cables allow charging power up to 43 kW.
What types of plug are there for electric cars?
Type 1 plug
The type 1 plug is a single-phase plug that allows charging power of up to 7.4 kW (230 V, 32 A). The standard is mainly used in car models from the Asian region and is rather uncommon in Europe, which is why there are hardly any charging stations with a permanently attached type 1 charging cable.
Type 2 plug
The three-phase plug is the most widespread in Europe and has been established as the standard. In private areas, charging powers of up to 22 kW (400 V, 32 A) are common, while charging powers of up to 43 kW (400 V, 63 A) are possible at public charging stations. Most public charging stations are equipped with a type 2 socket. Any Mode 3 charging cable can be connected to this, so both electric cars with Type 1 and Type 2 plugs can be charged. On the charging station side, all Mode 3 cables have the so-called Mennekes plug (Type 2).
Combo plug (Combined Charging System CCS)
The CCS plug supplements the Type 2 plug with two additional power contacts for a fast charging function and supports AC and DC charging with up to 170 kW. In practice, the value is more like 50 kW.
CHAdeMO plug
This fast charging system was developed in Japan and allows charging processes of up to 100 kW. At most public charging stations, however, only a power of 50 kW is available, which is usually quite sufficient. The following manufacturers offer electric cars that are compatible with the CHAdeMO plug: BD Otomotive, Citroën, Honda, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Subaru, Tesla (with adapter) and Toyota.
Tesla Supercharger
Tesla uses a modified version of the Mennekes Type 2 plug for its Supercharger. These allow the Model S to be charged up to 80% within 30 minutes at a charging power of up to 120 kW (direct current). Tesla offers the charging free of charge for its customers. Other car brands cannot be charged at Tesla Superchargers so far.