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Charging modes

Back to Principles of charging technology

Learn which methods can be used to charge the battery of an electric vehicle. What is the difference between charging with alternating current (AC) and charging with direct current (DC)?

Charging is described in detail in the standards IEC 61851 and IEC 62196. IEC 61851 differentiates between four charging modes. Charging modes 1 to 3 apply to AC charging, whereby charging mode 3 is further divided into the three charging cases A, B, and C. Charging mode 4 describes DC charging.

AC charging

In the case of AC charging, the AC/DC converter is located in the vehicle. This converts the alternating current to direct current, which is required for charging the battery.

Charging mode 1

The vehicle is charged with alternating current at a standardized connector such as a standard household socket. Voltages of up to 250 V in the case of a single-phase network and up to 480 V in the case of a three-phase network may be applied. The maximum charging current is 16 A. There is no communication between the vehicle and the charge point. It is crucial that the connector on the infrastructure side is secured with the residual current device. As this is not always the case in older installations, Phoenix Contact does not recommend this charging mode.

Charging mode 2

In contrast to charging mode 1, in this charging mode, the charging cable is also equipped with an In-Cable Control and Protection Device (ICCPD). This device includes the residual current device, communicates with the vehicle, and in this way controls the charging process. The maximum charging current is 32 A; the maximum charging power is 22 kW.

Charging mode 3, case A

In charging mode 3, the vehicle is charged with alternating current from a charging station or home charging station in which the necessary residual current device is already integrated. The charging station takes over communication with the vehicle. In this way, the vehicle can be charged with up to 63 A in three-phase mode.

In charging case A specifically, a charging cable that is permanently connected to the vehicle is used. The charging cable therefore only has a connector at one end – the infrastructure charging plug – that plugs into the charging socket of the charging station.

Charging mode 3, case B

Charging case B requires a mobile AC charging cable that has a connector at both ends. One end is the vehicle charging connector that plugs into the vehicle charging socket. The other end is the infrastructure charging plug that plugs into the charging socket on the charging station.

Charging mode 3, case C

This charging case is the opposite of charging case A. The charging cable in this case is permanently connected to the charging station. The other end has a connector – the vehicle charging connector – that plugs into the vehicle charging socket.

DC charging

Charging with direct current makes it possible to transmit high levels of power in a short period of time. Compared to AC charging, the AC/DC converter in this mode is located in the charging station. Moreover, the contacts and conductor cross sections are larger, meaning they can transmit charging power of up to 250 kW. For this reason, DC charging is generally referred to as fast charging. In combination with integrated cooling, charging power of up to 400 kW can be achieved in compliance with the relevant standards. This is then referred to as ultra-fast charging or High Power Charging (HPC for short).

For DC charging, leading automobile manufacturers recommend the Combined Charging System, CCS for short. SAE J1772 regulates type 1 CCS charging for North America, while IEC 62196-3 is the valid standard for type 2 CCS charging in Europe. Currently, there is no corresponding CCS standard for the Chinese market – in China, the standard GB/T 20234.3 regulates DC charging.

Charging mode 4

This charging mode describes direct current (DC) charging. Stricter safety requirements apply due to the particularly high charging power involved. Therefore, in this charging mode, only a charging cable that is permanently connected to the charging station is used – a pluggable connection is only provided on the vehicle side.