Yes! Virtually every electric vehicle you see on the road today is compatible with a standard charging station. There is, however, one nuance to keep in mind...
Type 1 versus Type 2 connector
The universal charging cable that you receive today when buying your EV, or that is fixed to a charging station, has a Type 2 connector. This is the standard connector for today’s vehicles.
There are also vehicles that can only charge with a Type 1 cable, but these are mostly older models or non-European cars. The Type 1 connector is no longer produced in Europe and is even being phased out altogether.
Not sure whether your vehicle has a Type 1 or Type 2 connector? Then be sure to check out this list:
List of EVs with a Type 1 connector
List of EVs with a Type 1 connector
EV model | Years with Type 1 | Notes |
Nissan Leaf (1st generation) | 2010–2017 | Type 1 + CHAdeMO for DC |
Nissan e-NV200 | Until ~2019 | Type 1 + CHAdeMO |
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 2013–2018 (EU) | Type 1 + CHAdeMO |
Mitsubishi i-MiEV | All years (EU) | Type 1 + CHAdeMO |
Peugeot iOn / Citroën C-Zero | All years | Same car as the i-MiEV under a different name |
Chevrolet Volt / Opel Ampera | 2011–2015 | Type 1 |
Ford Focus Electric | 2013–2018 | Mostly imported from the US |
Kia Soul EV (1st generation) | 2014–2019 (EU) | Type 1 + CHAdeMO |
Hyundai Ioniq Electric (early versions) | 2016–2018 (some) | Early versions, depending on the market |
EVs versus PHEVs, AC versus DC
A fully electric vehicle (full EV) today has the same type of connector as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), namely the Type 2 connector. However, this doesn’t mean you can charge at just any charging station. This has nothing to do with connector compatibility, but rather with the power the charging station can deliver.
PHEVs generally cannot charge at high-power DC fast chargers, which you often see along motorways (at Fastned, for example). This is because the battery capacity of a PHEV is small compared to that of a full EV. That is why the vehicle manufacturer limits the charging power to protect the battery.
Home charging stations (AC) also have limitations for PHEVs. For example, a PHEV cannot charge at a 22 kW charging station. In that case, there is no point in installing such a charging station, as you won’t charge any faster than at a 7.4 kW charging station, for example.
So be sure to get proper advice from your car dealership before buying a PHEV on the assumption that you can charge at high power!
Keywords:
charging station | charging stations | charge point | charge points | Type 2 plug | Type 1 plug | charging cable | plug-in hybrid | fast charger | compatibility