Plug-in electric vehicles in the United States and Canada by charging connector are, in practice, defined by a small number of charging interfaces. Although many connector types exist globally, only a few are used on light-duty plug-in vehicles sold in the two countries. This article summarizes the main connector families used on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the United States and Canada, and outlines how manufacturers and charging networks have adopted them.

In North America, most AC charging for non-Tesla plug-in vehicles uses the single-phase SAE J1772 connector, commonly referred to as "Type 1". DC fast charging is dominated by the Combined Charging System Type 1 (CCS1), which combines a J1772-style AC inlet with additional high-current DC contacts, and by the North American Charging Standard (NACS) used on Tesla vehicles and increasingly on other brands.

The CHAdeMO fast-charging connector, once common on Japanese BEVs, has largely been phased out in North America and in recent years remains mainly on the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

Shorthand codes and standards mapping

The article uses the following shorthand for connector families, which correspond broadly to configurations defined in international standards such as IEC 62196 and SAE recommended practices:

Code Name (common) Representative standard Typical use on US/Canada light-duty vehicles NACS North American Charging Standard SAE J3400 AC and DC charging on Tesla vehicles and, from the mid-2020s, selected other makes. Type 1 SAE J1772 single-phase AC SAE J1772 AC charging on almost all non-Tesla plug-in vehicles; Teslas use it via an adapter when charging away from Superchargers. Type 2 IEC Type 2 (Mennekes) IEC 62196 Type 2 Standard AC connector in Europe; not used on factory-built US/Canada passenger vehicles. Type 3 Type 3 (Scame) IEC 62196 Type 3 Legacy Italian connector, effectively obsolete and not used on modern North American passenger vehicles. AA CHAdeMO IEC 62196-3 configuration AA Legacy DC fast charging on some Japanese vehicles; in recent years confined in North America mainly to the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. BB GB/T GB/T 20234 AC and DC connectors used in China; not used on North American market passenger vehicles. ChaoJi ChaoJi Under development (CHAdeMO–GB/T) Next-generation Asian DC system under development; not deployed on North American light-duty vehicles as of the mid-2020s. EE CCS Combo 1 (CCS1) IEC 62196 Combo Type 1 Dominant non-Tesla DC fast-charging connector in North America, combining a J1772 inlet with two DC pins. FF CCS Combo 2 (CCS2) IEC 62196 Combo Type 2 CCS variant used primarily in Europe and some other regions; not used on factory-built US/Canada passenger vehicles. MCS Megawatt Charging System CharIN MCS High-power DC standard intended for heavy-duty trucks and buses; not used on light-duty cars.

Connector families in North America

Type 1 (SAE J1772) AC connector

The SAE J1772 connector, often called "Type 1" or simply "J plug", is the standard AC connector for Level 1 and Level 2 charging on non-Tesla plug-in vehicles in North America. It supports single-phase AC charging at 120 V or 240 V and is widely used in homes, workplaces and public Level 2 stations.

Natural Resources Canada and multiple consumer guides describe J1772 as the default connector for most plug-in cars and PHEVs sold in Canada and the United States, with Tesla vehicles using a compact adapter when charging on non-Tesla AC infrastructure.

CCS Combo 1 (CCS1)

The Combined Charging System (CCS) is a family of DC fast-charging standards that builds on the J1772 inlet. The CCS Combo 1 connector (CCS1) adds two high-current DC pins beneath a J1772-style AC interface, allowing the same vehicle inlet to accept AC charging at Level 1/2 and DC fast charging from compatible stations.

The U.S. Department of Energy notes that there are three principal DC fast-charging systems in North America—CCS, CHAdeMO and Tesla's connector—and that "most EV models on the market can charge using the CCS connector". CCS1 is fitted to the majority of non-Tesla BEVs sold in the region, including mass-market crossovers and sedans from domestic and imported brands, and is widely deployed on public fast-charging networks.

North American Charging Standard (NACS / SAE J3400)

Tesla introduced its own compact AC/DC connector with the launch of the Tesla Model S in 2012. In 2022 the company published the design as the "North American Charging System" and invited other manufacturers and charging-network operators to adopt it. In 2023–24, SAE International standardized the connector as SAE J3400, and the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation described J3400 as an "openly available" fast-charging connector for use by any manufacturer.

NACS is used for both AC and DC charging on Tesla vehicles in North America and allows access to the Tesla Supercharger network. Industry sources note that Tesla vehicles account for a majority of the U.S. EV fleet and that NACS is therefore already the most common physical connector on vehicles, even though public charging infrastructure has historically been built around CCS1.

From 2023 onward, many major automakers—including Ford, General Motors, Volvo, Polestar, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and others—announced plans to add NACS ports or provide NACS adapters for vehicles sold in North America, beginning with the 2025 model year and later. In 2026, a third-generation Nissan Leaf for the North American market is scheduled to become the first Nissan EV with a factory-equipped NACS port, replacing its earlier CHAdeMO inlet.

CHAdeMO (configuration AA)

CHAdeMO is a DC fast-charging system developed by a Japanese industry consortium in the late 2000s and standardized internationally in 2014. It was adopted on early Japanese BEVs such as the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and on some PHEVs, and was installed on many dual-standard fast chargers in Europe and North America.

By the early 2020s, most non-Japanese manufacturers had standardized on CCS for new vehicles, and several governments and networks began phasing out CHAdeMO connectors from new public installations. As of the mid-2020s, the CHAdeMO organisation and independent summaries report that the Nissan Leaf remains the last fully electric car sold in North America with a CHAdeMO inlet, and that the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is the only PHEV in the region equipped with CHAdeMO fast charging.

Other connector families

Several connector types that appear in international standards or are widely used in other regions are not fitted to factory-built light-duty passenger vehicles for the U.S. or Canadian markets:

Type 2 (Mennekes) and CCS2 are the dominant AC and DC connectors for EVs in much of Europe and some other regions, but vehicles imported for North America are generally equipped instead with J1772 and CCS1 inlets. GB/T connectors used in China, and their planned successor ChaoJi, are not used on North American passenger vehicles, although some multi-standard fast chargers may provide GB/T or ChaoJi connectors in ports serving imported heavy vehicles. MCS (Megawatt Charging System) is intended for high-power heavy-duty vehicles and is not present on light-duty cars as of the mid-2020s.

Use by vehicle type

Battery electric vehicles

Government and industry guidance for consumers commonly describe three principal DC fast-charging systems available to North American BEV drivers: CCS, CHAdeMO and Tesla/NACS. In broad terms:

Tesla vehicles use the NACS connector for both AC and DC charging and can access the Tesla Supercharger network as well as compatible third-party stations. Most non-Tesla BEVs sold since the mid-2010s combine a J1772 (Type 1) AC inlet with CCS1 DC capability and can therefore use a large share of public fast-charging sites in the United States and Canada. A shrinking minority of BEVs retain CHAdeMO DC ports, with the Leaf identified as the last such BEV on sale in North America before its redesign in 2026.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

PHEVs in North America typically support AC charging only and are equipped with a J1772 (Type 1) inlet for Level 1 and Level 2 charging. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that not all plug-in vehicles offer DC fast-charging capabilities and that those which do use one of the same three DC systems as BEVs (CCS, CHAdeMO or Tesla/NACS).

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is a notable exception among North American PHEVs in that it offers DC fast charging via CHAdeMO, pairing the CHAdeMO inlet with a separate J1772 port for AC charging.

Automaker transition towards NACS

Following Tesla's decision to publish the NACS design and SAE's work to standardize it as J3400, a series of major automakers announced that they would adopt NACS for future EVs in the United States and Canada or provide NACS-to-CCS1 adapters for existing models.

Industry reports and government briefings describe a transition period in which:

CCS1 remains the dominant interface on public fast-charging stations, especially those funded under federal and provincial programs that initially specified CCS connectors. Tesla Supercharger sites are gradually opened to non-Tesla vehicles via adapters and, in some cases, by adding CCS or NACS connectors to existing cabinets. New BEV models scheduled for the latter half of the 2020s increasingly announce native NACS ports for the North American market while retaining CCS2 in other regions.

Analysts have noted that this transition reflects both the large installed base of Tesla vehicles and the perceived reliability and geographic reach of the Supercharger network compared with some early CCS deployments.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by connector

The following table summarizes BEVs sold in the United States and Canada from model year 2020 onward, grouped by manufacturer. For brevity, only mainstream models and significant new introductions are listed. AC charging uses either NACS or Type 1; DC fast charging uses NACS, EE (CCS1), or in a few legacy cases AA (CHAdeMO).