CCS Charging Standard

The CCS Charging Standard (Combined Charging System) is an electric vehicle (EV) charging technology standard that integrates alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) fast charging capabilities into a single charging inlet. The CCS standard was jointly introduced in 2012 by eight major American and German carmakers (Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Porsche) to standardise the fragmented charging interface landscape at the time, enabling a single port to support four charging modes: single-phase AC charging, fast three-phase AC charging, home DC charging, and ultra-fast DC charging.

Technical Features

The core design philosophy of the CCS standard is "combined"—the charging port integrates both AC and DC charging sections. During AC charging, only the upper portion is utilised, whereas during DC charging, the dedicated lower DC pins are used for power transmission while specific upper pins handle communication. This design enables a vehicle to accommodate diverse charging scenarios through a single charging inlet, effectively lowering adaptation costs for carmakers.

Charging communication across the CCS system is globally standardised into two tiers: basic signalling and high-level communication. Basic signalling is transmitted via Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) through the Control Pilot (CP) pin for safety-related functions, while high-level communication relies on Power Line Communication (PLC) to transmit more complex data, supporting features such as Plug & Charge and load balancing. The communication protocols are governed by the ISO 15118 standard series and the DIN SPEC 70121 standard.

CCS1 vs CCS2

The CCS standard comes in two physical connector variants:

CCS1 (Combo 1) is derived from the North American Type 1 AC standard (SAE J1772), adding two DC pins beneath the original 5-pin AC connector. It is predominantly used in North America, South Korea, and Taiwan. It supports a maximum voltage of 1,000V and current of 500A, delivering charging outputs of over 360 kW.

CCS2 (Combo 2) is derived from the European Type 2 AC standard (IEC 62196-2), retaining three pins in the AC section (two communication pins and protective earth) with dedicated DC pins positioned below. It is primarily adopted across Europe, South America, Australia, the Middle East, ASEAN, and Hong Kong, supporting charging outputs of over 500 kW.

Global Adoption Landscape

The CCS standard is the mainstream EV charging standard in Europe and North America. In Europe, CCS2 was selected by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) as the unified charging interface, mandated for all plug-in electric vehicles sold in Europe since 2017.

Carmakers utilising the CCS standard include major brands such as BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Tesla. To promote the global adoption of the CCS standard, the industry established the CharIN Association (Charging Interface Initiative), whose members include ABB, Tesla, Toyota, and BYD. BYD joined CharIN in 2018 to support the international standardisation of EV charging systems.

Competition with NACS

In the North American market, the CCS standard faces strong competition from the Tesla-led NACS standard. In 2022, Tesla rebranded its proprietary charging connector as the North American Charging Standard (NACS) and opened it to the industry, prompting several former CCS1 camp carmakers, including Ford and General Motors, to switch to NACS. This shift has significantly reshaped the North American charging standard landscape. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, the government-backed CCS1 standard is gradually being phased out in favour of CCS2, with brands like Mercedes-Benz transitioning new models to CCS2 from 2026 onwards, signalling the eventual global phase-out of CCS1.

Technical Upgrades and Future Outlook

Future evolutions of the CCS standard include the higher-power Megawatt Charging System (MCS), engineered specifically for heavy-duty electric commercial vehicles, marine vessels, and related applications, offering charging capacities of up to 3.7 MW. In 2024, CharIN introduced CCS 2.0, adding Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) bidirectional power transfer capabilities, enabling electric vehicles to serve as mobile energy storage units that can feed electricity back to the grid.