Different Types of Connectors for Electric Vehicles

Several types of connectors are used to charge electric vehicles. A connector is the device used to connect an electric car to a charging station in order to charge the vehicle.

When purchasing a home charging station, or when charging on the road, it's important to know which type of connector is compatible with your electric vehicle. The detailed data sheets available in our online catalog, or your vehicle's owner's manual, will help you identify the correct connector.

Here are the 4 main types of connectors for electric vehicles found in Québec and more widely in North America:

1. J1772 Connector

The J1772 connector is the most widely used for 120 V and 240 V AC charging in North America. This connector is widely used for home and public charging stations.

The portable charging stations that are sometimes supplied with electric vehicles (other than Tesla) also feature this type of connector.

Owners of Tesla vehicles must use a J1772/NACS adapter (supplied when the vehicle is purchased, or available from Tesla and elsewhere) to charge at a 120 V or 240 V charging station equipped with a J1772 connector.

2. CCS Combo Connector

The CCS Combo connector is specifically designed for fast charging. This type of connector is found on the Electric Circuit's fast and ultra-fast charging stations.

Tesla vehicle owners must use a CCS Combo/NACS adapter (available from Tesla or elsewhere) to charge at a fast-charging station equipped with a CSS Combo connector.

3. CHAdeMO Connector

The CHAdeMO connector is also specific to fast charging, but very few recent electric vehicles are compatible with it. It was mainly used by Japanese automakers on the first generations of electric vehicles.

ChAdeMO connectors can be found on some public fast-charging stations, such as those on the Electric Circuit, but this type of connector is gradually disappearing.

4. NACS / J3400 Connector (Tesla)

The NACS connector was initially used only on Tesla vehicles. It enables charging at Tesla-branded home charging stations and at fast charging stations on the Tesla Supercharger network.

However, Tesla has opened up some of its Supercharger network to other electric vehicle brands in 2024.

Tesla has signed partnership agreements with almost all car manufacturers. Ford has begun sending free NACS/CCS Combo adapters to owners of the brand's electric vehicles so that they can use the Superchargers. Moreover, in line with these agreements, many electric vehicles produced by these manufacturers and destined for North America will, from 2025-2026, be equipped with a charging port compatible with the NACS connector, replacing the CCS Combo port.

As the connector of the largest charging network (over 60,000 Tesla Superchargers worldwide), the NACS connector could very well become the standard connector in North America. With an already well-developed charging infrastructure, the adoption of the NACS connector could further simplify the fast and ultra-fast charging experience for EV drivers.

Just as the USB-C connector has become the standard for charging electronic devices and cell phones, the adoption of a single (more compact, more convenient) connector for electric vehicle charging could have a very positive impact. In fact, this idea seems to be just as well received by car manufacturers as it is by electric vehicle owners.

In a nutshell: