A CCS2 charger is a DC fast charger fitted with the CCS2 (Combo 2) connector — the version of the Combined Charging System built on the Type 2 plug. A CCS2 car inlet combines a Type 2 section on top, used for AC charging, with two large DC pins below it for fast charging — one socket handles both. CCS2 is the standard DC fast-charging interface across Europe, the UK, Australia and other Type 2 markets.
Key Takeaways
- CCS2 (Combo 2) is the Combined Charging System built on Type 2: AC through the top section, DC fast charging through two added pins.
- It is the standard DC interface across Europe, the UK, Australia and other Type 2 markets.
- CCS2 and CCS1 are siblings, not rivals — same idea, different shapes, not interchangeable.
- “CCS2 charger” means a DC fast charger; home and site equipment for the same cars is plain Type 2 AC.
One Inlet, Two Power Paths
| Part of the inlet | What it does |
|---|---|
| Type 2 top section | AC charging at home, work and destination posts — single- or three-phase, depending on the car and supply |
| Two DC pins below | DC fast charging at public stations; the station converts AC to DC and the pins carry it straight to the battery |
| Signal contacts | Car and charger identify each other and agree the session before power flows |
“Combined” is the point of the design: instead of separate sockets for slow and fast charging, the CCS2 inlet stacks them. At home the DC pins sit unused while the car charges on AC through the Type 2 section. At a fast charger, the full plug locks into the same inlet. Our explainer on whether J1772 works with CCS shows how the North American version fits together.
Where CCS2 Is the Standard
CCS2 follows the Type 2 map: Europe standardised on Type 2 for AC charging and CCS2 extends it for DC, so CCS2 is the fast-charging interface across Europe, the UK and other Type 2 markets such as Australia. Its sibling, CCS1, applies the same combined idea to the North American Type 1 (J1772) inlet — the concept and communication are shared, but the shapes differ and the plugs do not fit each other. The wider connector landscape is compared in Type 2 vs J1772 vs NACS.
Speed does not come from the connector. The U.S. DOT classes DC fast charging at 50–350 kW (about 180–240 miles of range per hour), and a CCS2 session runs at whatever the lower of the station’s rating and the car’s DC limit allows. A CCS2 label tells you the plug and its market — not your charging speed.
What It Means When You Buy or Travel
- Buying a car in a Type 2 market: a CCS2 inlet means the car fast-charges on the region’s public DC network and AC-charges anywhere a Type 2 post or cable fits.
- Buying charging equipment: home and site AC hardware is plain Type 2 — the DC pins exist only on fast chargers and on the car’s inlet, never on a home wallbox.
- Crossing regions: a CCS2 car cannot plug into a North American CCS1 fast charger, or the reverse — different shapes by design. If you import a car, check its DC interface against your market first, as our guide to charging a Tesla across Type 2 and NACS regions illustrates.
Type 2 Hardware on the AC Side
EVDANCE’s Type 2 range serves the AC half of the CCS2 world. The EV-ACT3204PE is a 22 kW three-phase wallbox (tethered Type 2 cable, RFID and app, IP66, CE), the EV-AC03201T a dual-connector AC station with two Type 2 connectors (up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID, IP54), and the EV-ACS3210E a 32A Type 2 portable charger (single-phase, about 7 kW, IP66). None of these is a “CCS2 charger” in the fast-charging sense — that term belongs to DC stations — but they are the equipment CCS2 cars live on day to day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CCS2 the same as Type 2?
No. Type 2 is the AC connector. CCS2 is Type 2 plus two DC pins — the combined system. Every CCS2 inlet accepts a plain Type 2 plug for AC charging; a Type 2-only inlet has no DC pins and cannot fast charge.
Can a CCS2 car charge in North America?
On AC, only with the right plug for the region — the shapes differ. On DC, no: CCS2 and CCS1 inlets are different shapes with no simple adapter between them, so a car fast-charges on the CCS version of its own region.
Is CCS2 faster than CCS1?
No. Neither variant is faster; both are the same system on two AC foundations. Speed is set by the station and the car, not by which CCS you have.
Related Reading
- Type 2 vs J1772 vs NACS: Which EV Charger Connector Does Your Market Need?
- Does J1772 Work With CCS? CCS Connectors Explained
- Charging a Tesla: Type 2 in Europe, NACS in North America
- Are EV Chargers Universal?
