A Type 2 socket is an outlet built into the charger itself. Instead of a fixed cable, the charger carries a recessed Type 2 socket, usually behind a flap — and nothing connects to your car until you plug in a separate cable: Type 2 plug at the charger end, your car’s connector at the other. The cable lives in the car, not on the wall.
Key Takeaways
- A Type 2 socket is an outlet on the charger: no fixed cable, the driver brings the lead.
- Socket and tethered forms deliver the same power; they differ in cable ownership and readiness.
- The cable’s car end must match your inlet; its rating must cover the charger’s output.
- The EV-ACT3204E is listed either way — cable or socket — chosen at order time.
What You Are Looking At
The socket is the charger-side half of the Type 2 connection. On a tethered charger that connection arrives as an attached cable; here the outlet waits empty for the driver’s own lead:
- Open the flap. The socket sits recessed in the charger’s face, protected from weather while empty.
- Plug the cable into the socket. The cable’s charger end is a Type 2 plug, shaped for this outlet.
- Plug the other end into the car. On a Type 2 car that end is Type 2 as well; on other cars, it matches the car’s inlet.
- Charge, then take the cable with you. The lead goes back in the boot — the wall is left bare.
Socket or Tethered: What Actually Changes
| Question | Tethered charger | Socket charger |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the cable? | Fixed to the charger, coiled on it | In the driver’s car, plugged in per session |
| Whose wear is it? | The site owner’s: one cable takes every session | The driver’s: each lead wears with its car |
| Which cars can use it? | Only cars matching the fixed connector | Any car whose cable matches the socket |
| Ready to use? | Immediately — unclip and plug in | Once the driver connects a cable |
| Between sessions | A cable hangs on the wall | Nothing hangs; the socket is the fixture |
Neither form is the upgrade of the other; the full buying comparison is in our guide to tethered vs socketed wallbox chargers. The socket’s appeal is that one outlet serves every matching car — why shared sites favour it.
Where You Will Meet One
Two places. At home, wallboxes in Type 2 markets are sold in both forms; the socket suits households whose next car is unknown.
In public, socket outlets are the standard shape of AC street and car-park charging across much of Europe — the driver provides the lead, as the U.S. DOE’s public charging guide describes for bring-your-own-cable posts. DC fast chargers never work this way — their cables are part of the station.
Before You Rely on One: The Cable Checks
- Your inlet decides the cable. The charger end is Type 2; the car end must match your car — the logic set out in our comparison of Type 2, J1772 and NACS.
- The cable’s rating must cover the charger. A session runs at the lowest rating in the chain, so an under-rated lead holds the session down — or should not be used at all.
- Length is yours to choose. Enough for your parking position, not so much it lives in a puddle.
- Its condition is your inspection. A worn lead is replaced by its owner, not a site operator — check the jacket and connector faces.
A Type 2 Socket in the EVDANCE Range
The EV-ACT3204PE is a 22 kW three-phase wallbox listed with a Type 2 cable or a Type 2 socket, chosen at order time, with RFID and app access and an IP66 enclosure either way. Order the socket version and this article’s arrangement is what arrives. The opposite arrangement is a portable such as the EV-ACS3210E 32A Type 2 portable, which carries its own 7.5 m cable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Type 2 socket the same thing as a Type 2 plug?
No. The socket is the outlet on the charger; the plug is the connector on the cable that fits into it. Listings say “socket” when the charger ships without a cable.
Does a socket charger charge more slowly than a tethered one?
No. The form changes who supplies the cable, not the power: both versions of the same wallbox deliver the same output. What can hold a session down is an under-rated cable — the driver’s check to make.
Can a car with a different inlet use a Type 2 socket charger?
Yes, where a cable exists with Type 2 at one end and the car’s connector at the other — a Type 1 car uses a Type 2-to-Type 1 cable for AC charging. The socket is the flexible half; the cable does the matching.
Related Reading
- Tethered vs Socketed Wallbox Chargers: Which Should You Install?
- Type 2 vs J1772 vs NACS: Which EV Charger Connector Does Your Market Need?
- What Is J1772? The North American EV Plug Explained
