What do connector types tell you?
The technician checks the connectors. The AC charge points have sockets: drivers bring their own cable. The DC chargers have heavy, fixed cables with a large plug.
All of them fit the same car.
The questionWhy does each charger use this connector, and how does one car inlet take both?
| AC | DC | Required by AFIR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 2seven pins; sockets or fixed cables | AC points | ||
| Combo 2 (CCS)Type 2 shape with two DC pins below | DC points | ||
| CHAdeMOseparate DC connector, found on some older models | |||
| Type 3Afor light vehicles such as scooters | light vehicles |
AFIR requires at least Type 2 at public AC points and Combo 2 at public DC points; AC points reserved for light vehicles up to 3.7 kW use Type 3A or household-type sockets.
One inlet, two plugs
The inlet of a European electric car combines both: the upper part has the shape for AC, below it sit two large pins for DC. An AC cable fills only the upper part. A DC plug covers both, but uses the large pins for energy and the upper part only for communication.
That is why the system is called combined: one inlet on the car, two kinds of charging.
Fixed at DC, often your own at AC
- DC chargers always come with their cable. Since 14 April 2025, every public DC point in the EU must have a fixed cable. At high power the cable is part of the charger: thick, often cooled, monitored.
- AC charge points often offer a socket, and drivers use the Type 2 cable they carry in the car. Others, especially at home, have a fixed cable.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
Which connector does EU law require at public DC charge points?
AFIR Annex II: at least Combo 2 for DC, at least Type 2 for AC.
How does one car inlet accept both AC and DC plugs?
The combined inlet uses the upper Type 2 part for AC, and the lower DC pins plus the upper part's signal pins for DC.
Why do public DC chargers come with a fixed cable?
Since 14 April 2025, public DC points must have a fixed cable. At high currents it is sized, often cooled and monitored together with the charger.
- Type 2 The seven-pin AC connector that EU law requires at public AC charge points. Glossary
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 2, 5 and 20 and Annex II. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 2, 5 and 20 and Annex II. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.