CCS — Combined Charging System — is the most common DC fast charging connector in use globally. If you’ve used a public DC fast charger in Europe, you’ve used a CCS Type 2. If you’ve used one in North America (and you’re not a Tesla owner using a Supercharger), you’ve used a CCS Type 1.
This article explains what makes CCS what it is, why the two regional variants exist, and how it sits in the broader connector ecosystem.
The core idea
CCS is a connector design that “combines” AC and DC charging into a single plug. The upper portion of the plug is a standard AC connector (Type 1 in North America, Type 2 in Europe). Below it, two large round pins are added — these carry DC current for fast charging.
The clever part: a vehicle that supports CCS has a single inlet that accepts either kind of plug. If you bring a Level 2 AC plug, it engages just the upper portion. If you bring a CCS DC plug, it engages the whole inlet — upper portion plus the DC pins.
This means manufacturers only need to build one inlet per vehicle (saving cost and complexity), and the same physical inlet handles 1.4 kW home charging through 350 kW fast charging. If the AC-versus-DC distinction is new to you, our guide on AC vs DC charging (coming soon) covers why the two paths exist.
The two variants: CCS1 and CCS2
The world has two CCS connectors because the underlying AC standard is different in North America versus Europe.
flowchart TD
A[AC base connector] --> B[Type 1<br/>J1772<br/>North America]
A --> C[Type 2<br/>Mennekes<br/>Europe]
B --> D[Add 2 DC pins]
C --> E[Add 2 DC pins]
D --> F[CCS1]
E --> G[CCS2]
style F fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#2563eb
style G fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#2563ebCCS Type 1 (CCS1)
Used in: North America (US, Canada, Mexico) historically, also parts of Japan and South Korea.
Built on: SAE J1772 (Type 1) AC connector.
J1772 supports single-phase AC charging up to ~80 amps. CCS1 adds the two DC pins below for fast charging.
CCS1 is being phased out in North America as the industry transitions to NACS / SAE J3400 (coming soon) (the standard formerly known as Tesla’s connector). New vehicles from major automakers are shipping with NACS instead of CCS1. The CCS1 installed base in the field is still huge, but new vehicle and infrastructure investment is increasingly going to NACS.
CCS Type 2 (CCS2)
Used in: Europe, UK, most of Asia, Australia, much of South America and Africa.
Built on: IEC 62196 Type 2 (also called Mennekes) AC connector.
Type 2 supports both single-phase and three-phase AC charging up to ~63 amps per phase. This means Type 2 alone can deliver up to ~43 kW of AC charging (very rare to use this much), and CCS2 adds the DC fast capability.
CCS2 is the dominant standard in Europe and is not being replaced. Tesla vehicles sold in Europe ship with a CCS2 inlet from the factory — no adapter needed.
Why the two variants aren’t compatible
You cannot use a CCS1 plug on a CCS2-equipped car, or vice versa. The upper AC portion is physically different — different pin layout, different orientation, different mating geometry.
This split is a historical accident of how AC power infrastructure evolved differently in North America and Europe. North America standardized on split-phase 120/240V; Europe on three-phase 230/400V. The connectors evolved to suit each region’s grid.
For DC charging at very high power, the regional difference in AC fundamentals doesn’t really matter — the DC pins do the heavy lifting. But because CCS is built on top of an AC base connector, the regional split was inherited rather than designed around.
The power range
CCS is specified to support a wide range of DC power levels.
These tiers all sit in the DC fast charging band; for how they relate to slower home charging, see Level 1 vs Level 2 vs DC fast charging.
- At 50 kW (CCS’s original target) — older first-generation public chargers. Still common, especially in parking-lot retrofits.
- At 100-150 kW — the mainstream tier of modern public chargers (Electrify America’s 150 kW, IONITY’s earlier 150 kW pedestals, many EVgo and bp pulse installations).
- At 250-350 kW — the high-power tier, often called “ultra-fast” or “hyper-fast.” Used by Tesla V3 Superchargers (CCS-compatible in Europe), Electrify America’s higher tier, IONITY’s flagship 350 kW units, and similar.
- At 1 MW+ (MCS) — the Megawatt Charging System, a CCS-family extension for heavy-duty vehicles like trucks. Different physical connector (larger), same protocol family.
The actual power delivered to a specific vehicle depends on the vehicle’s onboard DC charging capability, the battery state of charge, the battery temperature, and the charger’s capability. A car rated for “200 kW peak” might pull 200 kW briefly between 20% and 50% SOC, then taper sharply.
The DC fast charging protocol
CCS uses the IEC 61851 / ISO 15118 protocol family for the actual handshake and energy management.
In simplified terms:
- Plug in. The vehicle and charger establish a low-voltage communication link through the pilot pin (the same pin used for AC charging).
- Identify and authenticate. In simple cases, the user starts charging via card / app and the charger asks the vehicle to begin. In ISO 15118 Plug & Charge cases, the vehicle and charger exchange certificates and authorize automatically.
- Negotiate parameters. Vehicle tells the charger its battery’s voltage range, maximum current it can accept, and target state of charge. Charger tells the vehicle its capabilities.
- Connect DC. The charger’s contactor closes and DC current begins flowing.
- Continuously adjust. Vehicle tells the charger “give me X amps” based on the battery’s state. Charger complies (within its own limits).
- End. Either party can end the session. Charger ramps current to zero, opens the contactor, the user unplugs.
This is roughly equivalent for both CCS1 and CCS2. The physical plug differs; the protocol over the wires is similar.
CCS in the broader connector ecosystem
A quick comparison of CCS to the other connectors you might encounter. For a broader tour of every plug type, see EV charging connectors explained; CHAdeMO (coming soon) gets its own deep dive too.
| Connector | Region | AC support | DC support | Typical max power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J1772 (Type 1) | North America | Yes | No | 19 kW AC |
| Type 2 (Mennekes) | Europe | Yes | No | 22-43 kW AC |
| CCS1 | North America (legacy) | Yes (via J1772 upper) | Yes | 350 kW DC |
| CCS2 | Europe / world | Yes (via Type 2 upper) | Yes | 350 kW DC |
| CHAdeMO | Japan (declining) | No | Yes | 100 kW DC (62.5 kW common) |
| NACS / J3400 | North America (rising) | Yes | Yes | 250 kW DC (Tesla V3) |
| GB/T | China | Yes | Yes | 250 kW DC |
| MCS | Heavy trucks (emerging) | No | Yes | 1 MW+ |
CCS dominates everywhere except China (GB/T), Japan (CHAdeMO, fading), and North America’s near-term Tesla-led NACS transition.
What this means in practice for EV drivers
A few practical takeaways.
In Europe, your modern EV almost certainly uses CCS2. Adapters are not needed for public DC fast charging. Tesla owners use CCS2 natively (Tesla switched from its proprietary connector for European market vehicles years ago).
In North America, you have a transition underway. Cars built before ~2024 are likely CCS1. Cars from 2025 onward from major brands are increasingly NACS. Tesla owners use NACS. Network operators are retrofitting connectors to add NACS support, but CCS1 will remain widely available for years.
In Japan, CHAdeMO is the historical standard but CCS is increasingly available and many new vehicles have moved to CCS.
For fleet operators, mixed-connector fleets are common during transitions. The good news is that most public fast chargers now support multiple connectors (a cabinet with both CCS and CHAdeMO, or a CCS pedestal with a NACS adapter).
What this means for charger operators
If you’re a CPO planning DC fast charger deployments today:
- In Europe: CCS2 is required. NACS adapter support is optional but increasingly valued for the small CCS2-but-want-Tesla edge case (rare in Europe since Tesla uses CCS2).
- In North America: deploy with both CCS1 and NACS connectors. Single-connector CCS1 deployments built in 2024-2025 are already starting to feel limited.
- In Asia: depends heavily on market. CCS2 in most countries, GB/T in China.
The hardware market has responded. Most modern fast charger cabinets ship with multiple connector options or with cables you can swap.
The myth: “CCS is dying”
This is half-true at best.
In North America, NACS adoption is real and CCS1 will become the legacy choice over the next 5-10 years. New cars will have NACS inlets; new chargers will lead with NACS connectors; CCS1 will remain installed and supported but won’t grow.
In Europe and globally, CCS Type 2 is not being replaced. There’s no equivalent NACS shift happening. CCS2 is the standard, will remain the standard for the foreseeable future, and continues to be the connector that new infrastructure investment is built around.
So “CCS is dying” is a North-America-specific statement about CCS Type 1 specifically. CCS as a global protocol family is alive and dominant.
The honest summary
CCS is the foundational DC fast charging connector for most of the world. The two variants (CCS1 in North America, CCS2 in Europe and most other regions) reflect underlying differences in AC power infrastructure. CCS supports power levels from 50 kW to 350 kW for cars and extends to multi-megawatt for trucks. In North America it’s being supplemented and partially replaced by NACS for passenger vehicles; in the rest of the world it remains the standard.