Generally speaking, charging piles can be classified into four charging modes based on charging technology: AC charging, DC charging, battery swapping charging, and wireless charging. According to the installation location, they can be divided into three types: public charging piles, dedicated charging piles, and private charging piles. Based on the installation method, they can be categorized into two types: wall-mounted charging piles and floor-standing charging piles. According to the number of charging interfaces, they can be classified into two types: multi-port charging piles and single-port charging piles.

The AC charging pile is what we often call slow charging.

The battery of an electric vehicle is charged through an on-board charger. An AC charging pile only provides power output and has no charging function. At this time, the input voltage is 220V, and the charging power is mostly 7kW. Due to the low power, it usually takes 8 to 10 hours to fully charge. This feature leads to the fact that most AC charging piles are installed in the parking lots of residential communities. In addition, the structure and technology of AC charging piles are relatively simple, and the installation cost is not high. Without line renovation and expansion, the installation cost of each AC charging pile is only 900 to 1,300 yuan.

DC charging piles are also called fast charging piles.

First, the alternating current in the power grid is converted into direct current, and then the battery is charged through the charging port. The input voltage of this type of charging pile is 380V, and the charging power can be as high as 60kW. Such a high power greatly shortens the charging time. Under normal circumstances, it only takes 20 to 90 minutes to fully charge. The technology and equipment of DC charging piles are more complex than those of AC charging piles. They not only require large volume transformers and AC/DC conversion modules but also need to be equipped with harmonic suppression devices, etc. Due to the complex technology and equipment and other reasons, the cost of DC charging piles is relatively high, which limits their application scenarios: they are only suitable for scenarios with high charging time requirements, such as taxis and buses. At the same time, centralized charging stations or gas stations usually install DC piles.

Wireless charging

The main methods of wireless charging include electromagnetic induction, radio wave, and magnetic resonance. Currently, all three modes are still in the exploratory application stage due to immature technical standards and business models, as well as unclear application scenarios.

Public charging station

Charging piles that provide charging services for social vehicles are generally built in public parking lots (garages), and they have both AC charging piles and DC charging piles. They mainly rely on charging service fees to make profits.

Special-purpose pile

Charging piles that provide charging services for specific vehicles, such as buses, taxis, and logistics vehicles, are not open to the public. Dedicated charging piles are usually installed in the parking lots of enterprises, and both AC and DC charging piles are available.

Private charging station

The AC charging piles installed in private parking spaces within residential communities are exclusively for the use of the vehicle owners themselves. These private charging piles are not open to the public and are usually purchased together with the vehicle. Vehicle owners can charge their vehicles at night or on weekends, and there is no time limit for charging.