CCS1 Charging Port vs. NACS Charging Port: A Comprehensive Guide

In the current era of rapid development of electric vehicles, charging port standards have become one of the key factors affecting the usage experience and popularity of electric vehicles. As two charging ports standards with significant influence in the North American market, CCS1 and NACS have many significant differences.

What is A Charging Port for Electric Vehicle?

The charging Ports or the charging interface is a crucial component that connects electric vehicles to charging equipment. There are two main types: AC and DC. AC charging is slower and suitable for home or public slow charging, while DC charging is faster and ideal for public fast charging stations. Different brands and models may have variations in charging interfaces, but they generally adhere to industry standards for compatibility and safety. As electric vehicle technology advances, charging interfaces continue to evolve for improved efficiency and convenience. In this article we will focus on CCS1 and NACS charging interface.

CCS1 Charging Port

CCS also know as Combined Charging System, it's a charging standard for electric vehicle. It's a combination of AC & DC charging in one coupler, this means you can use the same connector to charge your EV at home (AC charging) or at a public fast-charging station (DC charging). It can be divided into two types CCS1 and CCS2; CCS1 is widely used in North and Central America, Korea and China Taiwan, while CCS2 is mainly used in Europe, South America, South Africa, Arabia, India, Thailand, Singapore, China Taiwan,China Hong Kong, Oceania and Australia. today we mainly focus on CCS1. How does a CCS1 Charging Port looks like?

NACS Charging Port

NACS, also know as North American Charging Standard is a charging connector interface developed by Tesla for electric vehicles. It was initially a proprietary standard but has since 2023 been made available to other manufacturers. using the same pins for both AC and DC charging. How its a NACS Charge Port looks like?

Similarities Between CCS1 and NACS :

Shared Communication Protocols & Adopting PLC for Data Transmission.

Both CCS1 and NACS (North American Charging Standard) share the same communication protocol, which is primarily the ISO 15118 standard, allowing vehicles using either connector to communicate with charging stations seamlessly and safely; NACS, like CCS, utilizes power line communication (PLC) for data transmission instead of a dedicated communication bus (adopted by GB/T and CHadeMO). The shared communication protocols & same PLC data transmission mechanism means that a vehicle with NACS charging port/Tesla owners can charge on CCS1 charging station with the help of a CCS1 to NACS Adapter; vice versa principle, the cars with a CCS1 charge port can also charge on NACS Charger/Tesla Supercharger through the medium of a NACS to CCS1 Adapter.  Although CCS and NACS have some similarities, they also have many differences.

The Difference Between CCS1 Socket and NACS Port:

1> Shape & Size.

The most obvious distinction, the nacs & ccs connector have different connector design, the shape and size are different, Since NACS using the same pins for both AC & DC charging, while CCS1 have separate AC and DC pins, so NACS port is much smaller in size. This change impacts the entire system's architecture, requiring control electronics to safely switch between AC and DC modes.(learn more about How nacs port support ac and dc charging with one single port ) Consequently, the high-voltage wiring systems must also be adapted to distribute power effectively.

2> Pinout and Function Definition.

Pin quantity and layout are different: CCS1 has 7 pins, which not only include pins for DC Fast Charging but also integrate some pins for AC charging. The overall layout is relatively complex.  We can see from the following picture that, the upper part of the CCS1 Charging Port is for level 1 & level 2 Type 1 AC Charging, Combination as a whole unit is for level 3 DC Fast Charging; NACS Charging Ports have 5 pins and simpler layout. AC and DC charging sharing the same pins. the DC+/DC- terminals also serve as L1/L2 during AC Charging.

Pin Definition for CCS1 and NACS Charging Socket: According to the standard SAE J1772-2009, for CCS1 Charging Socket the L1 acts as the AC Line 1;  the L2/N terminal act as "AC Neutral" for 120 V Level 1 charging or "AC Line 2" for 208–240 V Level 2 charging, "PE" pin "Protective Earth" aka Ground; "PP" "Proximity Pilot" aka "plug present", which provides a signal to the vehicle's control system so it can prevent movement while connected to the electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE; the charging station), and signals the latch release button to the vehicle; "CP" "Control Pilot" is a communication line used to negotiate charging level between the car and the charging station, and it can be manipulated by the vehicle to initiate charging and can carry other information.The signal is a 1 kHz square wave at ±12 volts generated by the EVSE to detect the presence of the vehicle, communicate the maximum allowable charging current, and control charging begin/stop. the upper part of the CCS1 Charging inlet Socket as a whole acts as a Type 1 AC Charge Inlet;   "DC+"  & "DC-" Serves as power supply line carry the DC current from DC fast charger to the battery.

For NACS Charging Sockets, the "CP" "PP" have the same function as CCS1 charging inlets for the communication between electric vehicle and charging station, "G" pin equals the PE for grounding. The DC+/L1 pin provides either the positive side of the DC voltage link or, when using AC, it provides either Line 1 in a split-phase connection or the sole Line in a single-phase connection.The DC−/L2 pin provides both the negative side of the DC voltage link or, when using AC, it can serve as either Line 2 in a split-phase connection or the neutral in a single-phase connection.

Compatibility and Future Development for CCS1 Charging Standard and NACS Charging Standard

CCS1 Charging Standard
As a standard widely accepted by multiple automakers and regions, CCS1 has relatively wide compatibility. In theory, as long as different brand electric vehicles meet the CCS1 standard, they can be charged on corresponding CCS1 charging piles. However, with the continuous development of electric vehicle technology and the intensification of market competition, The CCS1 Charging Standard was defeated in the competition against the NACS Charging Standard primarily due to two factors: its sales were less than half of Tesla's,(Tesla vehicles outsell electric vehicles with CCS charging Ports in the US by about a 2:1 ratio) and CCS1 charging infrastructure lagged far behind Tesla's Supercharging Network.( Tesla is operating over 61% of the DC Fast Chargers in the US) What's more the Tesla Supercharging Network have a higher charge capacity and better charging experience than CCS chargers.

NACS Charging Standard

NACS, the North American Charging Standard is a charging connector interface developed by Tesla for electric vehicles. It was initially a proprietary standard for Tesla only, was first know as Tesla Charging Standard,  in 2022 Tesla supplanted it with "North American Charging System" and opened the standard to make the specifications available to other EV manufacturers, in 2023  SAE International announced that they would standardize the NACS connector as SAE J3400. and more and more car makers are adopting the NACS Charging Port in their new cars. The adoption of NACS by major automakers has been driven by Tesla's extensive Supercharger network and the reliability of its charging infrastructure. With the US government's support and standardization by SAE, NACS is expected to become the dominant charging standard in North America.

Will the CCS1 charging Standard Become Extinct in Future?

Many people, especially the CCS1 Charging Port/Socket equipped EV owners are worrying that will the CCS1 Charging Standard become extinct in future? if so how can they charge their car? based on current situation, this won't happen, at least in decades the CCS1 Charging Standard will co-exist with NACS for a long time.

Fiver New Energy Co.,ltd, As a leading manufacturer of EV Charging Couplers & Inlets, we offer NACS Connector, NACS Charging Port/NACS Charge Inlet, CCS Connector, CCS Charging Port/ CCS Charging Inlet, Need more info about our products please feel free to contact our sales team. or directly contact via email: jerry@fiverevse.com