If you drive an electric car, you have to get used to it. The nearest charging station is often not as easy to find as a gas station. It is best to be sure beforehand that the e-car and charging station are compatible. An inconspicuous icon will help you.
These signs are intended to provide clarity for e-car drivers
Plan longer charging times, know where the nearest charging station is and know the right charging cards and providers – if you drive an e-car, you should prepare yourself, especially for longer journeys. So that nothing goes wrong during the loading stops, the EU relies on uniform labeling (Source: t-online). The signs of this have been a familiar sight in petrol and diesel vehicles for years, and they will soon be part of everyday life for e-car drivers as well.
This should work on the same principle as with a petrol engine, for example, which can burn E5 or E10. One has chosen for the uniform labeling a hexagon, in black on the electric car (to be seen in the picture below)in white at the charging station (above in the article picture). Inside is a letter that stands for a plug configuration with a corresponding charging capacity. The same signs tell drivers at a glance whether the charging station and e-car go together.
The markings at a glance:
- Hexagon with “B”: Type 1 configuration up to 250 Vrms voltage (AC charging)
- Hexagon with “C”: Type 2 configuration up to 480 V rms voltage (AC)
- Hexagon with “D”: Type 3-A configuration up to 480 V rms voltage (AC)
- Hexagon with “E”: Type 3-C configuration up to 480 V rms voltage (AC)
- Hexagon with “K”: Configuration FF, voltage range 50 – 500 V (DC fast charging)
- Hexagon with “L”: Configuration FF, voltage range 200 – 920 V (DC)
- Hexagon with “M”: configuration AA, voltage range 50 – 500 V (DC)
- Hexagon with “N”: configuration AA, voltage range 200 – 920 V (DC)
- Hexagon with “O”: Type 2a configuration, voltage range 50 – 500 V (DC)
The labeling, which is the same in the EU, allows electric car drivers to see at a glance whether they are in the right place at the respective charging station. Included an e-car can fit for several connections, After all, you can usually choose at least between normal loading speed and fast loading. Outside the EU, the symbol will also apply in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey and Switzerland.
It’s worth not hesitating when switching to an electric car:
Causes confusion: charging apps use different markings
However, the whole thing has one stumbling block in everyday life: So use the common apps for charging cards or to compare the prices of charging stations and their providers not the markings of the EU. The plug type is usually specified there with a sketch of the plug and the available charging capacity in kW. This is also practical and as a driver you know where to go. However, a uniform system with the same symbols would be even more consumer-friendly.