£150.98 £190.00

DC Fast Charging

Approximately 100 to 200+ miles of range per 30 minutes of charging‡

    

              CCS connector                                                      CHAdeMO connector                  J3400 (NACS) connector

Direct-current (DC) fast charging equipment (typically a three-phase AC input) enables rapid charging along heavy traffic corridors at installed stations at power outputs up to 500 kW. This is also referred to as Level 3 charging. As of 2023, more than 20% of public EV charging ports in the United States were DC fast chargers. The availability of DC fast charging is expected to increase as a result of federal funding to build a national EV charging network, such as the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, the national Alternative Fuel Corridors grant program, and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grants. Additionally, DC fast charging is projected to increase due to fleets adopting medium- and heavy-duty EVs (e.g., commercial trucks and vans and transit), as well as the installation of fast charging hubs for transportation network companies (e.g., Uber and Lyft) and other applications.

There are three types of DC fast charging systems, depending on the type of charge port on the vehicle: SAE Combined Charging System (CCS), CHAdeMO, and J3400.

The CCS connector (also known as SAE J1772 combo) lets drivers use the same charge port with AC Level 1, Level 2, and DC fast charging equipment. The only difference is that the DC fast charging connector has two additional bottom pins. Most EV models on the market can charge using the CCS connector.

The CHAdeMO connector is another common DC fast connector type among Japanese automakers.

SAE International is standardizing the J3400 connector based on Tesla’s design for the NACS connector, which works for all charging levels, including Tesla's fast charging option, called a Supercharger. Although Tesla vehicles do not have a CCS or CHAdeMO charge port, they come with a limited CCS or CHAdeMO adapter that supports charging up to 19.2 kW. Tesla does sell full power adapters for both connector types. Several vehicle manufacturers have announced adopting the J3400 connector as early as 2025, which will allow non-Tesla EVs to charge at Tesla stations with the J3400 connector.

‡ A DC charging unit can provide up to 500 kW. Charging power varies by vehicle and battery state of charge.