CCS stands for Combined Charging System for DC Fast Car Charger Station
These sockets permit rapid DC charging, and are designed to charge up your EV very quickly when you are away from home.
CCS stands for Combined Charging System.
Manufacturers that use it on their new models include Hyundai, Kia, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, MG, Jaguar, Mini, Peugeot, Vauxhall / Opel, Citroen, Nissan, and VW. CCS is becoming very popular.
Tesla is also starting to offer a CCS socket in Europe, starting with the Model 3.
Confusing bit coming up: The CCS socket is always combined with either a Type 2 or a Type 1 socket.
For example, in Europe, you will often come across the ‘CCS Combo 2’ connector (see picture) which has the Type 2 AC connector at the top and the CCS DC connector at the bottom.
When you want a rapid charge at a motorway service station, you pick up the tethered Combo 2 plug from the charging machine and insert it into your car’s charging socket. The bottom DC connector will permit the rapid charge, whereas the top Type 2 section isn’t involved in charging on this occasion.
Most rapid CCS chargepoints in the UK and Europe are rated at 50 kW DC, though recent CCS installations are normally 150 kW.
There are even CCS charging stations being installed now that offer an amazingly quick 350 kW charge. Look out for the Ionity network gradually installing these chargers across Europe.
Check the maximum DC charge rate for the electric car you are interested in. The new Peugeot e-208, for example, can charge at up to 100 kW DC (pretty fast).
If you have a CCS Combo 2 socket in your car and want to charge at home on AC, you simply plug in your normal Type 2 plug into the upper half. The lower DC part of the connector remains empty.
CHAdeMO connectors
These allow for rapid DC charging at public charging points away from home.
CHAdeMO is a rival to the CCS standard for rapid DC charging.
CHAdeMO sockets are found on the following new cars: Nissan Leaf (100% electric BEV) and the Mitsubishi Outlander (partially electric PHEV).
You will also find it on older EVs like the Peugeot iOn, Citroen C-Zero, Kia Soul EV and the Hyundai Ioniq.
Where you see a CHAdeMO socket in a car, you will always see another charging socket next to it. The other socket – either Type 1 or Type 2 – is for home AC charging. See ‘Two Sockets in One Car’ below.
In the connector wars, the CHAdeMO system appears to be losing out to CCS at the moment (but see CHAdeMO 3.0 and ChaoJi below). More and more new EVs are favouring CCS.
However, CHAdeMO does have one major technical advantage: it is a bi-directional charger.
This means electricity can flow both from the charger into the car, but also the other way from the car into the charger, and then on to the house or grid.
This allows so-called “Vehicle to Grid” energy flows, or V2G. If you have the right infrastructure, you could then power your house using electricity stored in the car’s battery. Alternatively, you can send car electricity off to the grid and be paid for it.
Teslas have a CHAdeMO adapter so they can use CHAdeMO rapid chargers if there are no superchargers around.