CHAdeMO - Electric Vehicle Chargers

Q&A from our 'Learn about EV' series.

What is it?

CHAdeMO is the trade name of a quick charging method for battery electric vehicles delivering up to 62.5 kW of high-voltage direct current via a special electrical connector. It is proposed as a global industry standard by an association of the same name and included in IEC 62196 as type 4.

If you have a Tesla, or other non-CHAdeMO vehicle, adapters are usually available. Tesla sells a CHAdeMO adapter for $450 in US and $600 in Canada

Destination Charging

A destination charger is to entice people to use the establishment that has installed the charger. It is usually a high-efficiency charger installed at the location so visitors who shop or stay there can get a charge. Most chargers are not free to use, and most require a credit card to plug in to.

Here is a "trick" to make your Tesla or other EV to charge faster on CHAdeMO (hint: turn off your heater and other power drains, while charging)

Home Charging

We recommend charging your electric vehicle overnight, just like your mobile phone. Pull into your garage, plug in, and you'll wake up to a full charge the next morning. Even better, you'll pay only a fraction as much for electricity as you did for gasoline.