Which EV connector is standard in India?

For DC fast charging, CCS2 is the de-facto standard for four-wheel EVs in India. All modern EV cars sold in India — from Tata, Mahindra, Hyundai, Kia, MG, BYD, BMW, Mercedes and others — use CCS2 for fast charging. For AC charging at home or destinations, Type 2 is standard. Two- and three-wheelers commonly use GB/T. Legacy vehicles may still carry CHAdeMO or Bharat DC-001.

What is a CCS2 charger?

CCS2 (Combined Charging System, Type 2 variant) is a DC fast-charging connector. It combines the Type 2 AC pins with two extra high-current DC pins in a single plug, so one port handles both AC and DC charging. In India, CCS2 fast chargers typically run at 30, 60, 100, 150 or 240 kW.

Are CHAdeMO chargers still used in India?

CHAdeMO is present on some older Nissan Leaf imports and a few legacy public chargers, but new EV cars in India ship with CCS2 instead. CHAdeMO is being phased out globally and is not a standard you should plan a new EV around.

What is Bharat DC-001?

Bharat DC-001 is an older Indian 15 kW DC fast-charging standard used on early Tata Tigor EV, Mahindra e-Verito and some fleet vehicles. It is being replaced by CCS2 on new deployments. If your car has Bharat DC-001 you will still find chargers, but the network is shrinking.

Do I need an adapter to charge my EV in India?

If your car has CCS2 and Type 2 (which covers essentially every modern four-wheel EV sold in India), you do not need an adapter for the public network. Adapters exist for niche cases — CHAdeMO-to-CCS2 for legacy Leafs, GB/T-to-CCS2 for a few older imports — but they are uncommon and add cost.

EV connector types in India — explained

India settled the connector debate a while ago. If you are buying a car today, it is CCS2 for fast charging and Type 2 for AC. Everything else is either legacy, niche, or a different vehicle class. Here is what you will actually encounter on a highway trip.

CCS2 — the fast-charging standard

CCS2 (Combined Charging System, Type 2 variant) is the fast-charge connector for four-wheel EVs in India. Every modern car — Tata, Mahindra, Hyundai, Kia, MG, BYD, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, Audi and the rest — ships with CCS2.

The plug looks like a Type 2 socket with two extra thick pins beneath it. On a highway DC fast charger you use those two extra pins for 30 kW, 60 kW, 100 kW, 150 kW, and increasingly 240 kW. On a home or destination AC charger you use only the top Type 2 pins.

Practical implication: if your car is CCS2 (it almost certainly is), any highway fast charger you see in India today can serve you. The differences are speed and network — not compatibility.

Type 2 — the AC standard

Type 2 (Mennekes) is the AC charging connector, used at home wall boxes, destination chargers at malls and hotels, and the "AC" side of any CCS2 fast charger. It supports up to 22 kW three-phase AC, though most home installations are 3.3 kW or 7.4 kW single-phase.

Type 2 is what your home charging box will use. It is what you plug in overnight.

CHAdeMO — legacy, being phased out

CHAdeMO was the Japanese-led DC fast-charge standard. In India, you will find it only on a small number of imported Nissan Leaf cars and on a handful of older public chargers.

Nothing new ships with CHAdeMO. If you own a Leaf and take highway trips, plan around a small set of CHAdeMO-equipped chargers or carry a CHAdeMO-to-CCS2 adapter (rare and expensive).

GB/T — for two-wheelers and three-wheelers

GB/T is the Chinese charging standard, and it dominates India's 2-wheeler and 3-wheeler EV segment because most of that fleet uses Chinese battery packs and BMS. You will see GB/T sockets on electric scooters, on some cargo three-wheelers, and on Tata's earliest Nexon EV variants (later switched to CCS2).

If you drive a 4-wheel EV, GB/T is not your problem. If you ride an electric two-wheeler, it is your only problem.

Bharat DC-001 and Bharat AC-001 — the previous generation

Bharat DC-001 (15 kW DC) and Bharat AC-001 (3.3 kW AC) were India's early attempts at a home-grown EV charging standard. They shipped on the first-generation Tata Tigor EV, Mahindra e-Verito, and some fleet EVs.

The Bharat standards are being deprecated in favour of CCS2 and Type 2. Public Bharat DC-001 chargers still exist on some older public deployments (state DISCOM installations, some highway locations) but the network is shrinking. Do not buy a new EV that only supports Bharat DC-001.

The takeaway

For a highway EV road trip in India in 2026: your car is CCS2, you plan around CCS2 fast chargers, and Type 2 is what you use overnight. Everything else is history or a different vehicle class.

evLane shows you the right charger for your connector

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