CCS2, GB/T and CHAdeMO — choosing a connector set for an Indian fleet

The connector is the visible part. The commitment underneath it is a communication protocol, a contactor arrangement and a safety model — and those are much harder to change later than a cable.

The three you will meet

• CCS2. The European combined standard, and the default on Indian four-wheelers from most manufacturers. PLC communication over the control pilot.
• GB/T. The Chinese standard. Common on imported two- and three-wheelers and on some bus fleets. CAN-based communication, and a different pin arrangement for AC and DC.
• CHAdeMO. The Japanese standard. Declining in new sales, but still required wherever older imported vehicles remain in service.

The depot problem

A depot that standardises on one connector and then takes delivery of a mixed fleet ends up with vehicles queueing for a minority of its chargers. The fix is not to buy three separate machines — it is to specify a cabinet with more than one gun from the outset.

Our DC line supports CCS1, CCS2, CHAdeMO and GB/T, and a single cabinet can serve up to three vehicles concurrently. Battery voltage is configurable from 36 V to 110 V, which is what makes the same platform work for a two-wheeler bay and a four-wheeler bay.

Do not forget the AC side

Not every bay needs DC. Where dwell time is long — offices, residential towers, overnight depot parking — an AC pedestal with RFID authentication and an emergency stop is cheaper, lighter on the incoming supply, and easier to permit.

The parts nobody quotes for

Every DC installation needs residual current detection that can see DC, surge protection sized for the site earthing, and blocking diodes. Those are lines 20, 19 and 21 in our catalogue, and they ship with the charger rather than after the first fault.