What is the difference between Level 2 AC and DC fast charging?

With Level 2 AC charging, the charger supplies alternating current and the vehicle's onboard charger converts it to DC for the battery, so the charging rate is capped by the smaller of the charger rating and the onboard charger (commonly 3.3 kW to 11 kW on Indian cars). A DC fast charger does the conversion itself and feeds DC straight to the battery, so it is limited by the charger and the battery's acceptance rate rather than the onboard charger.

Which EV charging level do I need at home?

For most Indian homes, a Level 2 AC charger matched to the car's onboard charger is enough: a 3.3 kW unit for cars with a 3.3 kW onboard charger, or 7.4 kW (single-phase, 32 A) where the car and the supply allow. A three-phase 11 or 22 kW charger only helps if the car's onboard charger accepts that power. Two-wheelers and three-wheelers usually charge from a 15 A socket or a light-EV charge point.

LECCS (Light Electric Combined Charging System) is the combined AC and DC charging connector for light EVs such as two- and three-wheelers, published by BIS as IS 17017 (Part 2/Sec 7):2023. The Ministry of Power's 2024 charging guidelines list it for light-EV AC, DC and combo charge points.

What is the CCS2 connector?

CCS2 (Combined Charging System, Type 2 based) adds two large DC pins below the Type 2 AC pins, so one vehicle inlet handles both AC and DC charging. It is the DC connector on most passenger EVs sold in India today.

Is CHAdeMO still required at Indian public charging stations?

No. The earlier Ministry of Power guidelines listed a CHAdeMO charger among the minimum chargers at a public fast-charging station. The Guidelines for Installation and Operation of EV Charging Infrastructure-2024 (17 September 2024) supersede them; their Annexure I lists BIS standards by power level (IS 17017-23 DC chargers with IS 17017-2-3 couplers for cars, buses and trucks) and does not name CHAdeMO as a requirement.

How long does each EV charging level take?

For a 50 kWh battery charged from 10% to 80% (about 35 kWh into the battery): roughly 17 hours at 2.3 kW, 11–12 hours at 3.3 kW, about 5 hours at 7.4 kW, and about 3.5 hours at 11 kW — provided the car's onboard charger accepts that power. A 22 kW AC charger only reaches about 1.8 hours if the car has a 22 kW onboard charger; otherwise it charges at the onboard-charger limit. A 50 kW DC charger typically takes 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the car's charging curve.

Is there a Level 4 EV charging?

Not in the SAE scheme, where 'Level 3' is informal shorthand for DC fast charging. India's 2024 Ministry of Power guidelines do use 'Power Level 4' — high-power DC charging of 250 kW to 500 kW for e-buses and trucks — so the answer depends on which scheme you are reading.

What Are the Different Levels of EV Charging?

The different levels of EV charging describe how fast an electric vehicle can be charged, what connector it uses, and whether power is delivered as AC (converted to DC inside the vehicle) or DC (straight to the battery). This guide covers Level 1, Level 2 and DC fast charging, the main connector standards (Type 2, CCS2, CHAdeMO, GB/T), and how India's own framework — the power levels and BIS standards in the Ministry of Power's 2024 charging guidelines — maps onto them.

Three naming schemes you will see

Levels (SAE, US origin): Level 1 and Level 2 are AC; “Level 3” is common shorthand for DC fast charging.
Modes (IEC 61851-1): Mode 2 is charging from a household socket through an in-cable control and protection device; Mode 3 is a dedicated AC charger with a control pilot (a Type 2 wallbox, for example); Mode 4 is DC charging from an off-board charger. Mode 1 (a plain socket with no EV-specific protection) is restricted in many countries.
Power Levels (India, 2024 guidelines): Annexure I of the Ministry of Power's EV charging guidelines (17 September 2024) groups chargers into Power Level 1 (light-EV AC up to 7 kW and DC up to 12 kW), Power Level 2 (park-bay AC, about 11/22 kW), Power Level 3 (DC 50–250 kW) and Power Level 4 (DC 250–500 kW for e-buses and trucks).

Level 1 — Socket (Trickle) AC Charging

Level 1 charging uses a standard socket — in India typically a 15 A, 230 V socket, which can supply up to about 2.3–3.3 kW depending on the cable and vehicle. The EV's onboard charger converts the AC to DC for the battery. For a car, it is slow; for two- and three-wheelers with small batteries, it is often all that is needed.

Power: roughly 1.4–3.3 kW
Connector: domestic 15 A socket (or an IEC 60309 industrial socket) with a portable cable
Use case: two- and three-wheelers, overnight top-ups, occasional car charging
Watch out for: the socket circuit must be rated for continuous load — have an electrician check wiring and earthing

Level 2 — Dedicated AC Charging

Level 2 is the workhorse of EV charging — installed at homes, workplaces, and commercial destinations. Power ranges from 3.3 kW and 7.4 kW single-phase up to 11 kW and 22 kW three-phase. The EV's onboard charger converts AC to DC, so the actual rate is the lower of the charger rating and the onboard charger. Many Indian EVs have 3.3 kW or 7.2 kW onboard chargers, some accept 11 kW, and few accept 22 kW AC — check the vehicle specification before sizing a charger.

Power: 3.3–22 kW
Connectors: Type 2 (IEC 62196-2, adopted in India as IS 17017-2-2) is the standard for cars in India and Europe; Type 1 (SAE J1772) is mainly North American
Use case: home charging, workplace charging, destination charging (hotels, malls, restaurants, offices)

Tech OVN makes Type 2 AC chargers from 3.3 kW to 22 kW — see the Type 2 charger page. For two- and three-wheeler fleets, our separate 3.3 kW single-socket charger uses a 3-pin 15 A / IEC 60309 socket rather than Type 2.

DC Fast Charging (“Level 3”)

A DC fast charger converts grid AC to DC itself and feeds the battery directly, bypassing the onboard charger. DC charger ratings run from tens of kilowatts to several hundred, with the highest-power units at bus and truck depots. The charging rate falls as the battery fills, so most quoted times are for 10–80% or 20–80%. (Tech OVN makes AC chargers only; this section is for context.)

CCS2

The Combined Charging System (Type 2 based) adds two DC pins below the Type 2 AC pins, so one inlet handles both AC and DC charging. It is the DC connector on most passenger EVs sold in India today.

CHAdeMO

A DC standard from Japan, used on a small number of imported EVs in India. Earlier Ministry of Power guidelines listed a CHAdeMO charger among the minimum chargers at a public fast-charging station. The 2024 guidelines supersede them: their Annexure I lists BIS standards by power level (IS 17017-23 DC chargers with IS 17017-2-3 couplers for cars, buses and trucks) and does not name CHAdeMO as a requirement.

GB/T

The Chinese national charging standard. In India its connector appears mainly through Bharat DC-001 (below) on early low-voltage cars, and on some Chinese-origin vehicles.

India-Specific Standards: Bharat DC-001 and LECCS

Bharat DC-001 (historical): a low-voltage DC specification from around 2017, up to about 15 kW at under 100 V, using a GB/T connector. It served early low-voltage cars such as the first Tata Tigor EV and Mahindra e-Verito fleet sedans; newer cars use higher-voltage batteries and CCS2.
LECCS (Light Electric Combined Charging System): a combined AC and DC connector for two- and three-wheelers, published by BIS as IS 17017 (Part 2/Sec 7):2023. The 2024 guidelines list it for light-EV AC, DC and combo charge points, alongside the DC-only light-EV connector (IS 17017-2-6).

Under the 2024 guidelines, every EV charger must comply with the BIS standards in Annexure I, and each model is to be type-tested by the manufacturer at an NABL-accredited lab. For cars, new public deployments in India standardise on Type 2 for AC and CCS2 for DC.

Charge Time Summary

For a 50 kWh battery charged from 10% to 80%, about 35 kWh has to go into the battery. Dividing by the charging power (and allowing roughly 10% conversion loss on AC) gives these approximate times:

2.3 kW socket: ~17 hours
3.3 kW AC: ~11–12 hours
7.4 kW AC: ~5 hours (needs a 7.2 kW+ onboard charger)
11 kW AC: ~3.5 hours (needs an 11 kW onboard charger)
22 kW AC: ~1.8 hours only if the car has a 22 kW onboard charger; otherwise it charges at the onboard-charger limit
50 kW DC: ~45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the car's charging curve

Actual times depend on battery chemistry, temperature, and how fast the vehicle tapers its charging rate as the battery fills.

Which Level to Deploy Where

Home — Level 2 AC (Type 2) at 3.3 or 7.4 kW, matched to the car's onboard charger.
Workplace — Level 2 at 7.4 to 22 kW per bay, sized to the cars that actually park there.
Destination (malls, hotels, restaurants) — Level 2 AC, with DC fast charging only where dwell times are short.
Highway / public fast — DC fast charging with CCS2.
Two/three-wheeler fleet — 3.3 kW single-socket AC charge points, or light-EV chargers with the vehicle's connector (LECCS where supported).
Electric bus depot — the 2024 guidelines specify chargers of at least 240 kW for e-bus depots.

Whatever you deploy, meter it. Per-charger kWh tracking makes cost allocation and billing defensible — see the EV charging metering solution page.