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No matter where you are or what EV you drive, you’ll never be far from an RAA Charge station.
South Australia’s first border-to-border electric vehicle (EV) charging network will span 140 charging locations with more than 500 charging bays across the state – to be completed in 2024.
The network is made up of 7kW Destination, 150kW Rapid and 200kW Ultra-rapid chargers with the charging stations supporting different plug types, installed in line with the vehicles currently being sold in Australia.
In Australia, the standard plug set used is the Type 2/CCS (AKA CCS2) plug for both AC and DC charging. However, a limited number of EVs such as the Nissan Leaf that use the older CHAdeMO plug will be supported at our Ultra-rapid stations.
EV drivers will be able to see which chargers have both the CCS2 and CHAdeMO plugs using the Chargefox app.
Let’s take you through these different plug types:
The Type 2 plug is found in EVs across the country. The plug has a seven-pin design with up to five power point pins to support three-phase charging, depending on your vehicle.
The Type 2 plug includes an automatic locking mechanism, ensuring a secure connection between the vehicle and the charging station.
It also includes built-in safety features such as temperature and current sensors to prevent battery overheating and overcharging.
All our Destination charging sites within the RAA Charge network support the Type 2 plugs, with a maximum power output of 7kW. You’ll need to bring your own Type 2 charging cable for these sites, with the chargers designed for longer stays in overnight accommodation and multi-hour car parks.
The CCS2 plug is an enhanced version of the Type 2 AC plug with two additional power contacts, supporting DC charging.
CCS2 plugs can deliver up to 350kW of DC power and are the standard for DC EV charging in the EU and Australia.
All of our 54 Rapid and Ultra-rapid charging sites will have the CCS2 plugs.
The CCS2 connector works with a wide variety of EVs in Australia with one of the primary benefits of the connector being its ability to charge at high power levels, significantly reducing EV charging times.
Tesla supercharge stations, which use CCS2, often only support Tesla cars due to the company’s decision to restrict access to their own branded vehicles in some locations currently.
Tesla drivers can use the RAA Charge network; however, some older Tesla models prior to 2018 will require an adaptor to use the CCS2 plug.
Developed in Japan, the CHAdeMO plugs allow for relatively high charging capacities, as well as bidirectional charging.
The CHAdeMO plug is a large, circular head and three prongs, capable of delivering up to 62.5kW of power.
The DC only connector is mostly found in older Japanese built EVs and PHEVs.
Most EVs with CHAdeMO sockets also come equipped with the standard Type 2 socket for AC charging.
Of the 54 Rapid (150kW) and Ultra-rapid (200kW) charging sites across the RAA Charge network, 17 will feature the CHAdeMO plug.
EV drivers will be able to see which chargers have both the CCS2 and CHAdeMO plugs using the Chargefox app, with charging times varying between 10 and 45 minutes depending on your EV’s battery.
The RAA Charge network is being delivered with the assistance of a $12.35 million grant from the Government of South Australia.
To locate your nearest charger, initiate charging and complete payment, download the Chargefox app.
To learn more about the network, visit www.raa.com.au/charge