With Electric Vehicles (EVs) becoming the new norm for clean commuting, countries around the world are accelerating the installation of charging points. That being said, there are various types of chargers available and that might leave the average EV driver puzzled as to which one they should use or buy.
Just like how mobile phone manufacturers started out with their own unique cables and ports, such as the USB Type C and Lightning Port, EV manufacturers used to have their own unique charging connector. This posed a problem for drivers as they would be limited to the connector available in each charging station or they would have to bring a bulky adaptor every time they charge their EVs. Thankfully, EV drivers in Singapore do not have to face this problem – the Technical Reference (TR)25 (latest version known as TR 25:2022, which was recently reviewed and updated from the 2016 version) provides the standardization of charging connector for all EVs and charging points coming to Singapore, ensuring a hassle-free charging experience for EV drivers.
Types of Chargers (Photo: Versinetic)
There are 2 main types of EV chargers in Singapore namely the Mennekes (Type 2) charger and the Combined Charging System 2 (CCS2) charger, which differs based on the current of electricity the chargers provide. Electricity in the wires around us typically comes in an Alternating Current (AC) to reduce energy loss, but all batteries, including those in EVs can only store electricity in Direct Current (DC).
Type 2 chargers (also known as AC chargers) supply AC to the EV via the EV’s onboard charger, which converts AC to DC before supplying the battery. Hence, the power rating of the onboard charger affects how fast the battery is charging. For example, if the power rating of the Type 2 charger exceeds that of the onboard charger, the battery’s charging rate is capped based on the onboard charger’s power rating. Currently, most EV’s onboard charger has a rating of 10 kW, which would charge a typical EV (~40 kWh) in 4 hours. This is why Type 2 chargers are commonly referred to as ‘slow chargers’. Despite this, EV manufacturers are working on increasing the onboard charger’s power rating to steadily reduce charging time even with AC charging.
The CCS2 chargers (also known as DC chargers), on the other hand, converts the AC to DC and charges the battery directly. This completely bypasses the onboard charger’s power rating, which is why DC chargers have higher power ratings than AC chargers, resulting in much shorter charging times and is thus referred to as fast chargers. In addition, all EVs with the CCS2 charging ports can charge with both AC and DC chargers because the CCS2 charging port is also compatible with Type 2 chargers as shown in the illustration above but do note that the other way round is not true, i.e. EVs with Type 2 charging ports cannot charge using CCS2 chargers!
As part of Volt’s mission to bring about reliable and accessible EV charging, we provide a tailored end-to-end service, including consultancy, installation, and management, of both AC and DC chargers in commercial and residential premises as well as EV fleets. We have a growing network of charging points available throughout Singapore to provide a fuss-free EV charging service for drivers, so do be on the look out for them in our Volt EV Charging App!
With Electric Vehicles (EVs) becoming the new norm for clean commuting, countries around the world are accelerating the installation of charging points. That being said, there are various types of chargers available and that might leave the average EV driver puzzled as to which one they should use or buy.
Just like how mobile phone manufacturers started out with their own unique cables and ports, such as the USB Type C and Lightning Port, EV manufacturers used to have their own unique charging connector. This posed a problem for drivers as they would be limited to the connector available in each charging station or they would have to bring a bulky adaptor every time they charge their EVs. Thankfully, EV drivers in Singapore do not have to face this problem – the Technical Reference (TR)25 (latest version known as TR 25:2022, which was recently reviewed and updated from the 2016 version) provides the standardization of charging connector for all EVs and charging points coming to Singapore, ensuring a hassle-free charging experience for EV drivers.
Types of Chargers (Photo: Versinetic)
There are 2 main types of EV chargers in Singapore namely the Mennekes (Type 2) charger and the Combined Charging System 2 (CCS2) charger, which differs based on the current of electricity the chargers provide. Electricity in the wires around us typically comes in an Alternating Current (AC) to reduce energy loss, but all batteries, including those in EVs can only store electricity in Direct Current (DC).
Type 2 chargers (also known as AC chargers) supply AC to the EV via the EV’s onboard charger, which converts AC to DC before supplying the battery. Hence, the power rating of the onboard charger affects how fast the battery is charging. For example, if the power rating of the Type 2 charger exceeds that of the onboard charger, the battery’s charging rate is capped based on the onboard charger’s power rating. Currently, most EV’s onboard charger has a rating of 10 kW, which would charge a typical EV (~40 kWh) in 4 hours. This is why Type 2 chargers are commonly referred to as ‘slow chargers’. Despite this, EV manufacturers are working on increasing the onboard charger’s power rating to steadily reduce charging time even with AC charging.
The CCS2 chargers (also known as DC chargers), on the other hand, converts the AC to DC and charges the battery directly. This completely bypasses the onboard charger’s power rating, which is why DC chargers have higher power ratings than AC chargers, resulting in much shorter charging times and is thus referred to as fast chargers. In addition, all EVs with the CCS2 charging ports can charge with both AC and DC chargers because the CCS2 charging port is also compatible with Type 2 chargers as shown in the illustration above but do note that the other way round is not true, i.e. EVs with Type 2 charging ports cannot charge using CCS2 chargers!
As part of Volt’s mission to bring about reliable and accessible EV charging, we provide a tailored end-to-end service, including consultancy, installation, and management, of both AC and DC chargers in commercial and residential premises as well as EV fleets. We have a growing network of charging points available throughout Singapore to provide a fuss-free EV charging service for drivers, so do be on the look out for them in our Volt EV Charging App!