Drivers should pay attention to these signs
If you drive an electric car, you have to get used to it. The next charging station is often harder to find than a gas station. So if you want to be sure whether the e-car and the charging station are compatible before you stop for free, you should take a closer look at your own vehicle. A simple symbol can help you with that.
For e-car drivers: the EU symbol is intended to provide clarity
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. Inside is a letter that stands for a plug configuration with a corresponding charging capacity. The same signs on the car and charging station allow drivers to see 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:
Problem with the smartphone: Apps do not know any uniform characters
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.
