AC charging in one paragraph
The charger delivers AC power and the car’s on-board converter turns it into DC inside the vehicle. That caps AC at 7.4–22 kW per phase set, which is why wallboxes dominate homes, workplaces and overnight parking. Grid-side gear stays simple: meter, protection, control pilot.
Where DC fast charging differs
A DC dispenser converts AC to DC before the cable, so the charger — not the car — sets the ceiling. Power starts around 40 kW and rises through 120–480 kW units to megawatt-class systems. The connector must then carry liquid-cooled currents and speak ISO 15118 for plug-and-charge.
The four connectors you will actually quote
Type 2 (Mennekes) is the AC standard across Europe and most export markets. CCS2 pairs two DC pins under a Type 2 shell and is the EU fast-charging default. CHAdeMO is the legacy Japanese DC path, still on some fleets. NACS is the compact Tesla-style connector gaining a second connector list in North America.
Choosing for a site
Match the connector to the cars that will actually park there, and match power to dwell time: under an hour of parking needs DC; overnight needs 11–22 kW AC. When in doubt, spec dual-socket AC for workplaces and one CCS2 fast unit for forecourts — that combination covers most European duty cycles today.