Distinguish DC charging station and AC charging station

As we all know, EV charging stations are charging facilities for electric vehicles, and they can be divided into AC charging station and DC charging station. So, how to distinguish DC charging station and AC charging station?

What is an EV Charging Station?

EV Charging stations function similarly to gas pumps at gas stations and can be fixed on the ground or walls. They are installed in public buildings (public buildings, shopping malls, public parking lots, etc.) and residential community parking lots or charging stations, and they can charge various models of electric vehicles based on different voltage levels. The input end of the EV charging station is directly connected to the AC power grid, and the output end is equipped with a charging plug for charging electric vehicles.

EV Charging stations are currently divided into AC charging stations and DC charging stations based on different power. So we can distinguish DC charging station and AC charging station with their power.

AC charging stations output single-phase/three-phase AC power, which is converted into DC power by the vehicle-mounted charger to charge the vehicle’s battery. The power is generally lower (with powers like 7kW, 11kW, 22kW, etc.), and the charging speed is relatively slow, so they are usually installed in residential parking lots, etc.

DC(Direct current) charging stations (or non-vehicle-mounted chargers) directly output DC power to charge the vehicle’s battery. They have higher power (such as 60kW, 120kW, 240kW, or even higher) and faster charging speeds, so they are generally installed in dedicated EV charging stations and some commercial parking lots.

But how can we judge whether a station is a DC charging station or an AC charging station based on its appearance?

Generally, DC charging station has a rugged appearance (due to the presence of a certain number of AC-DC power modules inside, and the higher the power, the more modules, and the larger the volume of the charging station), while AC charging station is relatively delicate. Another obvious difference is the head of the charging gun (charging cable): DC charging stations use a 9-pin plug, while AC charging stations use a 7-pin plug.

Charging Cable of DC Charging Station:

As shown in the above diagram, the output of a DC charging station consists of 9 wires, namely:

DC power lines: DC+, DC-
Equipment ground wire: PE
Charging communication lines: S+, S-
Charging connection confirmation lines: CC1, CC2
Low-voltage auxiliary power lines: A+, A-

A DC charging station charges an electric vehicle using these 9 wires.

Charging Cable of AC Charging Station:

As shown in the above diagram, the output of an AC charging station consists of 7 wires, namely:

AC power lines: L1, L2, L3
Equipment ground wire: PE
Neutral line: N
Connection confirmation line: CC
Control and guidance line: CP

An AC charging station charges an electric vehicle using these 7 wires.

So the above is all about how to distinguish DC charging station and AC charging station. Details about the charging process will be covered in subsequent articles.