What is Type 1 and Type 2 Charging Cable?

Electric vehicles don't require their owners to be professional electricians; however, they do need to have a basic understanding of the functionality of components such as the working principles of automotive power, plugs, sockets, cables, and chargers. In summary, owners need to understand key details about charging speeds and how the electric vehicle's charging equipment, charging cables, sizes, and models affect charging speed.

With the continuous advancement of technology, electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular among car owners. The days of limited use are gone for good. However, transitioning from a world of fossil fuels to a clean energy world, as we know it, is still a huge step. This is because various standards can make buying the right electric vehicle cables a bit confusing.

1. Understanding the electric vehicle type 1 type 2 charging cable

Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are equipped with built-in chargers that allow the vehicle to be charged easily from a normal main power source. However, some vehicles will need additional charging cables so that the owner can charge their car away from home. All charging cables are not the same, and one end has either a type 1 plug or a type 2 plug, depending largely on the charging standard of the electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. So what are the differences between type 1 type 2 cable?

2. Differences between type 1 and type 2 charging cables

The differences between the two types of electric vehicle cables are as follows: Type 1 input is the charging cable standard for Asia, Japan, and the United States, while in Europe, the standard is the Type 2 input. Type 1 plugs have a latch to secure the plug in place and prevent it from falling out of the socket, while Type 2 plugs do not have a latch. Vehicles that support Type 2 plugs have an electromagnetic lock that positions and secures the plug in place and prevents it from coming loose. This ensures that only the owner can remove the charging cable from the vehicle. Vehicles that support Type 1 plugs do not have a lock, so anyone can unplug the electric vehicle cables from the car.

The plugs for both type 1 and type 2 charging cables contain live and earthed terminals. Type 2 cables feature a resistor that communicates with the car and tells it when the cable has been plugged in and is maintaining a charge. Other resistor functions maintain a steady power supply by detecting the strength of the cable and obtaining power accordingly. In type 1 cables, the resistor detects whether the cable is plugged into the car and decides to turn off the charger to prevent the plug from being released if the control lever is pressed. Type 1 is a single-phase charging cable, while type 2 electric vehicle cables allow a single-phase or three-phase main power supply to be connected to the vehicle.