(a) Yes, there are several adaptors listed for sale. Price £600 to £1000 last time I looked but didn't buy one.

(b) "Continue"? There are more CHAdeMO chargers in 2025 than in previous years! A few charge point operators have removed some, but InstaVolt, Osprey and MFG include Chads in practically every new site. Swarco, Shell, GeniePoint, Gridserve, Be.EV, bp pulse, evyve, blink, Sainsbury, Lidl, Arnold Clark -- all offer at least some sites with at least a token chademoidal plug somewhere.

 

That's reassuring, thank you.
What adapters do folks on here recommend?

 

One interesting thing is that with the ranges increasing with modern CSS equipped EV cars, although there will be a lot of them, I wonder how their share of motorway EV charger usage will fare compared with Chademo? There are a lot of Leaf's out there which will require these chargers more often with their more limited range, so I wonder if Chademo will be around at more sites for longer than expected.
Certainly on the few times I have needed to use a fast charger I have had no problem in finding many in the south of England on motorways at the moment.

 

...modern CSS equipped EV...

Cascading style sheets for cars? Useful in Web browsers and related software.
I guess you meant CCS, combined charging system (CCS2 in Europe, CCS1 for the USA).

 

Yep, been doing some web programming today !

 

EV Boy (aka Conrad Wu) sells such an adaptor via Ebay. The after sales support is quite good. It is worth saying that some models of CCS charger are not compatible with some adaptors but there are system updates available that aim to improve reliability over time.

 

Just a couple of points, personal view if you like, but I wouldn't want to plug a low-volume, non-mainstream manufactured Chinese electronic box into my Leaf and try to put 200 amps / or 400 volts through it. At least not until there is some significant testing and approval from someone I trust, like Nissan (unlikely), or the AA or the RAC.
Second: This week I dropped in to a new Instavolt site in Chineham (Basingstoke) and out of 6 charging posts there is not one Chademo!

 

I wouldn't buy anything that hasn't been tested in a UK lab, personally.

 

Most testing labs operate globally, they will have locations in many different countries that each specialise in certain tests (With the associated specialised equipment). So if you get Intertek UK to test a device, they may end up sending that to China/India/Germany etc. As these labs generally will not replicate test equipment in every country as it is not cost effective to do so and will bloat the already expensive testing/certification fees.

 

My friend would agree with the last couple of posts. He’s looking for a safe solution to future-proof his Leaf (which he wants to take to 100k miles before parting with it).
So is there an adapter which people can specifically recommend please? One from a reputable company, purchased in the UK and which members can share positive experiences of?

 

So is there an adapter which people can specifically recommend please? One from a reputable company, purchased in the UK and which members can share positive experiences of?

 

Ok, so there is some confusion about the presence of CHAdeMO chargers, but generally speaking, I think the number will inevitably go down. Which brings me to my question. Are there any adapters available?

 

Ok, so there is some confusion about the presence of CHAdeMO chargers, but generally speaking, I think the number will inevitably go down.

Eventually, of course it will go down. But for the moment, the count of CHAdeMO chargers in Britain is increasing, just not increasing as fast as CCS2 chargers. (The number of CHAdeMO cars is decreasing slowly, but not as slowly as you might think: there will be Japanese imports of used cars topping it up.)

Which brings me to my question. Are there any adapters available?

Yes. Adaptors are available.

 

Thanks for the links.
I know my friend would not be comfortable buying from eBay or direct from a Chinese company because there is an expectation of reliable UK support for a warranty.
I think it’s also reasonable to expect a CE marking.

Is the situation with CCS2 to CHAdeMO adapters so ‘dodgy’ that there is no CE marked product that a reputable UK company manufactures or distributes with a warranty?
is there nobody in this community who has found and purchased such a product and who can speak with experience to its safety, reliability and their feelings about its longevity?

 

I think it’s also reasonable to expect a CE marking.

Tart Dc 250a Ccs2 To Chademo Adapter Dc Fast Ccs2 To Chademo Adapter - Buy Ccs2 To Chademo Adapter ccs2 To Chademo Adapter ccs2 To Chademo Product on Alibaba.com

Tart Dc 250a Ccs2 To Chademo Adapter Dc Fast Ccs2 To Chademo Adapter - Buy Ccs2 To Chademo Adapter ccs2 To Chademo Adapter ccs2 To Chademo Product on Alibaba.com

www.alibaba.com

 

The cost of them (the adapters) is coming down.

They’ve roughly halved in price when I started a thread on them back in January 2024.

https://www.speakev.com/threads/ccs2-to-chademo-adapter-now-production-ready.182686

 

I'd be very content if every chademoidal charger were retired but the charger companies donated me an adaptor instead, but that isn't yet practical at scale. It doesn't (as far as I know) cost much more to provide a CCS2+CHAdeMO dual-cable charger than a CCS2-only single-cable charger. Although the signalling hardware is duplicated for chad, the main cost is the extra cable and plug, especially since CCS2 has had no end of software and hardware comms issues (it uses homeplug(?) power-line Ethernet, and needs filters and such to make sure it doesn't accidentally connect to another car plugged into the next door charger, where chad uses a much simpler point-to-point wired CAN bus).

At present, though, there are far more chademoidal cars than chargers. If the adaptors cost about the same as the second cable on a charger, the total cost would be much higher to provide all the affected cars with adaptors than to maintain the plugs on the chargers. I'm not sure how many rapid charger sites there are -- maybe a thousand or so -- but there are very roughly 70,000 Leaf, e-NV200 and oddments registered in the UK. Round figures are 59,000 Leaf, 9,200 e-NV200, and a few of other models [data from howmanyleft.co.uk]. That's not a large market, but it's enough customers to be worth keeping -- I'm not keen on Ionity, Tesla, or Applegreen, for example, because they have made it clear by ignoring chad that they don't want my custom. (Not keen on Tesla for the obvious other reason, too.)

No-one is producing any new CHAdeMO vehicles for the UK. All new models of EV are required to use CCS2 (or Type 2 if they don't have rapid charging at all). This isn't a commercial VHS-like take over, it's a regulation by decree which car makers have to meet. But the existing cars, or most of them, will be on the roads for years yet: Leaf has a reputation for reliability apart from its battery degradation. A few chads will be imported from Japan.

An adaptor for £300 would be an easy purchase for me to justify. Much cheaper than a new CCS-equipped EV with the good features of my little red van-with-seats, and nice to have for peace of mind.

 

This isn't the end of the story though, just to put a spanner in the works, who's to say that CCS2 won't be replaced with something else, and the whole issue starts again.

Just look what happened with mobile phones, we had large round pins, small round pins, then they all "standardised" on the small USB, but the this standard was overturned with another (very similar) small USB thing.
Meanwhile Apple were the Chademo in this pile, by having a lightning plug.

Similar thing with 4-star fuel, (and now E10) but the "adapter" for this is an additive. If you do a lot of miles, the cost of the additive adds up.

 

Nothing is forever is it?! Otherwise we’d still be driving around in Model T’s but it unlikely that across Europe CCS2 as a charging standard connection for passenger cars will be supplanted for very many years. Think decades.

Unless you all of a sudden need more than 600kW power transfer…like maybe for HGVs but even then they’ve demonstrated megawatt level charging using CCS and then there’s MCS if you really need loads of juice in a short space of time.

 

Indeed nothing is forever.
I have Super 8 cine films that need digitising.
And after all the EU USB format fuss and Apple finally moving to USB-C, there are credible rumours that they were considering removing the physical charging port from the iPhone 17 and going to wireless only. That’s now not looking likely.

I’d like NACS to win out over CCS as it’s half the size and twice as powerful. In the US, major brands - Ford, GM, Rivian, Volvo/Polestar, Mercedes, Nissan, Honda/Acura, Jaguar/LR, Hyundai/Kia/Genesis, BMW, Toyota/Lexus, Subaru, Mazda, Lucid, Fisker and Stellantis - are integrating NACS ports in new EVs from the 2025 model year onwards, with adapters available in 2024 for existing CCS‑equipped EVs.
Sadly, Europe is set on CCS, the inferior format, for the moment.
I hope it doesn’t end like Blu-ray vs HDDVD and VHS vs Betamax. I.e. the less capable format wins.

My friend has buyer’s remorse over the Leaf for obvious reasons. He didn’t ask my advice before purchasing the car but he did ask my advice afterwards and has followed my advice to look after the battery.

Having invested in it, he is determined to run it in to the ground, and so will likely be buying an adapter for convenience and future-proofing.
I’m recommending that he considers the

CCS - CHAdeMO adapter

In stock – at the lowest price in the EU! Estimated delivery time: 3–7 business days. Frustrated by the limited number of CHAdeMO charging stations? Looking for more options on your journeys? With this groundbreaking adapter, you can finally charge your CHAdeMO car at CCS fast-charging stations...

autonlaturit.com

Thanks for your replies and advice.

 

I’d like NACS to win out over CCS as it’s half the size and twice as powerful.

NACS is fine for North America (there's a hint in the name) but disqualified as a standard for Europe because it is fundamentally incompatible with 3-phase AC charging (11 kW and 22 kW charge points). 3-phase power requires 5 full-current conductors (or 4 if the load -- the car -- is balanced), but NACS has only 3 such pins. That's an un-fixable incompatibility.

CCS (both CCS1 and CCS2) is a bodge, but, now that CCS2 is set in law as the standard and there are many millions of cars using it, it's not going away.

The good thing about NACS is that it's close to the DC-charging protocol of CCS, so an adaptor is cheap to make - not much more than two sets of connecting pins in a plastic shell. But for AC charging the adaptor limits it to 7 kW on a 22 kW charge point or 3.5 kW on an 11 kW charge point: not twice as powerful, but one third.

[You knew this, but just in case: single-phase AC charging needs a line (L), neutral (N) and protective earth (PE) conductor, each capable of carrying the maximum circuit current. Three-phase carries 3 X the power with five conductors rather than three: L1, L2, L3, N and PE; and if the load is equal across the phases, the N conductor isn't needed. NACS provides high-current (+) and (-) which double as L and N for AC, and a smaller PE connection. Its superpower is to use software to switch in either the car's battery directly for DC or the on-board charger for AC, as appropriate, where CCS uses separate connector pins for the two.]

 

Could the EV-Boy CHAdeMO to CCS adapter be their saviour? Andrew meet up with Paul Eden of the Nissan EV Owners UK Facebook group to see how it works.
You can Buy the adaptor via : ''Nissan EV Owners UK '' Facebook page.

 

You can get it on eBay too. They just announced a price drop, so must have garnered enough requests for another bulk buy batch…

edit - just looked at my search history and they were asking £924.71 for the same item just a few days ago! 😳

 

[Gaz, at his work the next day.]

"How's things Gaz?"
"Not bad thanks, you?"
"Yeah I got some fresh air last night, it was lovely. You?"
"Yes, a good one. I wrote 'very few care' on an internet forum about a niche subject. I really moved the discussion along."

 

I wouldn't be recommending an adapter at this stage - I'd be recommending a realistic and specific look at the availability of chademo chargers on the routes your friend is likely to drive.
Converters are likely to get cheaper and more reliable over the next few years, so better to wait till you actually need it.

I make long journeys in a 30kWh Leaf and charger availability just keeps improving

 

I make long journeys in a 30kWh Leaf and charger availability just keeps improving

The point has been made before that for a defunct charging standard, it’s ironic but actually very nice that the number of actual public chargers has “risen with the tide” in recent years as the overall number of public charging hubs has exploded in numbers.

All this while the number of CHAd cars remains static or will decrease so the ratio of public chargers to cars gets better and not worse.

 

 

Heres the final deal for you guys, thanks so much for your support.

EV-BOY Chademo-CCS Rapid Charger Adaptor (August Batch) – EV-BOY

ev-boy.co.uk

Watch the demo at Gloucester Services

 

Registered advertiser ??????

 

My apologies if the post wasn't appropriate. I myself have been a Leafer since 2022 and the very reason I sourced one of these adaptors was of personal interest. As I have collected more data for the maker to tweak the firmware, I ended up importing them and selling it locally.

Yes its a commercial post but I hope you also notice that the price is substantially lower than the £1200 price tag by another UK vendor as this is my side hustle and I havent reached the VAT sales threshold.

Either way I hope the product is something useful for Leaf owners.