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Guide to electric vehicle charging plug types
Electric vehicles produced by automakers sometimes use different plug types. Here are the most common EV plugs used in Australia, plus how you might be able to plug your EV into different charging stations.
As electric vehicles become more popular in Australia, more drivers are learning how EV charging works at home and in public. For a seamless ownership experience, EV owners will need to know their plug type, which charging stations they can plug into, and whether they will need to bring any adapters or extra cables to charge their EV.
Types of EV plugs used in Australia
AC: Type 2 (Mennekes)
Charging speed: Medium
The AC Type 2 plug, which may be called the Mennekes or IEC 62196 plug, is the Australian and European industry-standard AC plug for EVs. It features a seven-pin design that supports three-phase AC charging.
Electric vehicles that use a Type 2 plug include the Nissan Leaf, Kia Niro PHEV and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
Type 2 chargers are the Australian standard. Image: Getty
DC: Combined Charging System (CCS)
Charging speed: Fast
CCS is a fast plug type that uses a combined charging system (CCS) to allow both AC and DC chargers to use the same plug. CCS1 is compatible with Type 1 connections, while CCS2 is compatible with Type 2 connections. In Australia, most EVs have a Type 2 CCS (CCS2) port so that it can plug into an AC Type 2 charger at home and a fast DC charging station in public.
Electric vehicles that use a CCS Type 2 charger include the MG ZS EV, Hyundai IONIQ 5, BYD Atto 3, Kia EV6, Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y.
Most EVs in Australia use CCS2 chargers. Image: Getty
DC: Tesla Supercharger
Charging speed: Fast
Tesla Superchargers can accept a DC current for faster, more powerful charging. Tesla Superchargers offer charging at rates up to 150-250kW, and there are currently more than 400 Tesla Supercharger charging stalls across Australia.
Can I use Tesla chargers for other cars in Australia?
Tesla Superchargers in Australia are opening up to non-Tesla cars. Until recently, Superchargers could only charge Tesla cars like the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y.
Australian EVs that use CCS charging (that's most of them) can now charge up at Tesla Superchargers in Dubbo, Bathurst, Tamworth, Hollydene and Narooma. Tesla eventually aims to open up every Supercharger to both Tesla and non-Tesla drivers.
The only catch is that non-Tesla owners can expect to pay more to use Superchargers than Tesla owners.
Tesla Superchargers currently only charge Tesla cars in Victoria, however this may change. Image: Getty
DC: CHAdeMO
Charging speed: Fast
CHAdeMO is short for charge de move. This rapid DC plug type is the standard DC port in many Japanese-built EVs.
Typically, EVs with a CHAdeMO port also come with an AC Type 2 port for home charging. CHAdeMO plugs are also capable of bi-directional charging: the ability to feed energy from your vehicle back to your home or the grid as well as taking charge on board – essentially, it can work like a large home battery.
CHAdeMO chargers are capable of bi-directional charging. Image: Getty
AC: Type 1 (J1772)
Charging speed: Slow
The AC Type 1 plug, which may be called the J1772 or SAE J1772, is very uncommon in Australia these days. The Type 1’s five-pin design only supports single-phase AC charging, leading to longer charge times compared to other plugs.
The AC Type 1 plug remains the standard AC plug in North America and Japan, and may still be found on some pre-2018 EVs in Australia, such as the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 and BMW i8.
Type 1 EV chargers are uncommon in Australia. Image: Getty
What plugs do public charging stations use?
Almost all Australian EV charging stations are Type 2 compatible. Older EVs with Type 1 plugs will generally need an adapter cable to charge at these stations.
Rapid or ultra-fast public charging stations will often have both a CHAdeMO and a CCS2 (Type 2 CCS) plug, so you can use whichever one matches your car’s charging port.
Can I charge my EV with a different plug?
You can use adaptors or cables to allow your EV with one plug type to connect to a charging station with a different plug type. To figure out which cables you need to access Australia’s public charging station network, use JET Charge’s online cable tool.
