I am exporting a chevy Equinox in west and facing a question of adaptability of Type 1 (SAE J1772) AC inlet. However, off-grid equipment and charging cables sold in West Africa naturally use the standard European Type 2 (Mennekes) connector. Any recommendation?
Hi, welcome.
From what I understand the US Equinox uses a Type 1 plug, while chargers and cables in West Africa are usually Type 2. So a local cable probably won’t plug straight into the car.
I believe people in this situation often use a proper Type 2 to Type 1 EV adapter, or a portable charger with a Type 1 plug on the car end. I’d be careful with cheap generic adapters though.
A couple of questions that might help others chime in:
- Which country, and is this fully off-grid or is there also grid / generator power?
- Do you already have a Type 2 charger, or are you still choosing one?
- Is this mainly home charging, or do you also need public / fast charging?
Hopefully someone here has done a similar US-to-West-Africa import and can share what actually worked.