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Connectors

Connectors sit at the heart of any charging process that requires a cable.

Connectors on tethered cables

Tethered cables attached to rapid charging units can be heavy and hard to manage, but good connector design can help.

Provide a handle that can be held in different ways, using one or two hands without relying on strength or dexterity.

Close up photo of a pair of hands holding the top and back of a large square looped connector handle ready to push the connector into the EV charging socket on the front of a car. The thick, flexible charging cable comes out of the top of the connector, between the hands.
Close up photo of a hand holding the top of the same square looped connector ready to push it into the charging socket on the front of an EV.
Close up photo of a pair of hands holding a square looped connector as it sits in its holder at chest height on the front of a rapid charging unit. One hand holds the back of the connector loop and the other supports the bottom of the connector with minimal grip.

The connector needs to be removed from and returned to the charging unit easily, without the need for precise hand actions, and also inserted into and pulled out of the charging socket on the vehicle.

The user may also need to move the connector some distance between the charging unit and the vehicle, so make this easy to hold.

Video of a man standing between a rapid charging unit and the front of an EV. His walking pole is propped against the car bonnet and he gently retracts the thick cable upwards into the overhead holder by holding the cable and the connector. He then flexes the connector on the end of the cable and places it into its holder at hip height on the front of the charging unit.
Close up video of a hand placing a connector with a large square loop-shaped handle into the holder labelled “Connector B” on the front of a rapid charging unit. The screen on the front of the unit has a white background and the text and symbols on the screen change from “Ready to unplug” to “unplugged” as the connector goes into the holder.

Connectors on untethered cables

Where a user needs to provide their own cable, the connectors at both ends of the charging cable should be easy to use.

Consider providing a handle on each connector to help hold, carry, insert and remove the connector. Make sure the handle can he held in different ways, using one or two hands, and can be inserted or removed without relying on strength or dexterity.

Close up photo of a woman standing in front of a fast charging unit with the front of an EV behind her. She holds the charging cable with one hand and holds the loop handle on top of the connector with the other hand while hanging an elbow crutch from her forearm.
Close up photo of a man holding a connector with both hands as is it plugged into the socket on the front of a fast charging unit. His walking poles are propped against the walking stick holder on the side of the charging unit.

If the connectors on the ends of the cable look similar, think about labelling them clearly to save the user time.

Close-up video of an EV connector being inserted into a socket. A small square window on the top of the connector turns from red to green as the connector is pushed in to show that the connector is fully inserted.

Consider giving feedback to the user so they can be sure that the connector is fully pushed into the charging unit.

Our charging unit prototypes

Take a look at the prototype EV charging units that we built in response to our user engagement work

Go to our prototypes

The new standard for accessible EV charging

Take a look at the requirements and recommendations set out in PAS 1899:2022 Electric vehicles – Accessible charging – Specification

Go to PAS 1899 (Opens in a new window)

Download the design guidance

Our design guidance covers signage and information, the built environment and charging an electric vehicle.

Design guidance (PDF, 14MB)