June 2026

CCS vs CHAdeMO vs Type 2: EV connector types explained

EV charging looks complicated at first - multiple connectors, different speeds, not everything works with everything. But it's simpler than it seems. Here's everything you need to know about CCS, CHAdeMO and Type 2, explained in plain English.

Cute pink octopus with a charging cord and card, next to three electric charging stations on a blue background with stars.

Cute pink creature holds a map next to an electric car charging at a station, set against a backdrop of stylized trees.

What is ultra-rapid EV charging - and where can you find it in the UK?

Cute pink octopus with a charging cord and card, next to three electric charging stations on a blue background with stars.

CCS vs CHAdeMO vs Type 2: EV connector types explained

A pink octopus holding coins stands between a pink and a blue electric car, each at charging stations on a purple background with stars.

How much does it cost to charge an EV on the public network in the UK?

Three electric cars at a charging station beside a pink octopus holding a plug, with a road and wind turbines in the background.

The rise of subscription EV charging in the UK: Is it worth It in 2026?

Two pink cartoon octopuses with headphones hosting "ELECTRO BEAT" at a desk with microphones, a drink, and a world map backdrop.

Electro Beat: Your Monthly Dose of EV News (December 25 & January 26)

Smartphone displaying a charging app with a map, surrounded by colorful stars on a dark blue gradient background with a "LIVE" icon.

Live charger availability in Octopus Electroverse app

UK Supermarkets with EV Charging

Supermarkets with EV charging in the UK - Your complete guide

Pink octopus making cost comparison between a petrol or electric vehicle

Total cost of ownership: EVs vs ICE cars in the UK

A confused cartoon octopus stands between pink and blue EV charging stations with a clock above, showing time and decision uncertainty.

How long does it take to charge an EV in 2026?

Illustration of a cartoon character using a smartphone at an electric car charging station, with a car plugged in, set against a green landscape.

UK EV charge point map - Find public chargers near you

Cartoon lightning bolt character charging at a station, holding a card. Inset shows an RFID card being tapped on a device with a battery icon.

EV charging cards UK: How to choose the best one

Two images in polaroid outlines, one is a green map with red pins representing charging locations on a route. The other photo is an aerial shot of mountainous plains covered in snow with a small car on a road in the centre. A pink and blue background with a lightning bolt cartoon character, a pink octopus and an depiction of an electric vehicle with a charger.

Cornwall, UK to North Cape, Norway (7,438 mile/11,970 km journey)

Cartoon lightning bolt character with a UK flag stands near colorful electric vehicle charging stations against a pink cityscape.

The UK cities with the most EV chargers in 2026: Where to charge your EV

Illustration of a blue electric car charging at a station, with a cartoon lightning bolt character wiping sweat in a forest setting.

ICE-ing, overstay fees & EV parking rules: what you need to know

Electro Beat news header

Electro Beat: Your monthly dose of EV news (June 2025)

Pink octopus puzzled by phone; becomes happy near an electric charging station with stars in the background.

How to find EV chargers near you (The easy way)

Charged: 15 Questions with... Mer

The UK’s busiest EV charging spots – and how to dodge the crowds

The UK’s busiest EV charging spots – and how to dodge the crowds

Electroverse mascot with pictures of women in the EV industry. Maskottchen von Electroverse mit Bildern von Frauen in der Elektrofahrzeugbranche. Mascotte d'Electroverse avec des photos de femmes dans l'industrie des véhicules électriques. Mascota de Electroverse con imágenes de mujeres en la industria de los vehículos eléctricos. Mascotte di Electroverse con immagini di donne nel settore dei veicoli elettrici. Mascote do Electroverse com fotos de mulheres na indústria dos veículos elétricos.

Women driving the future of electric mobility

Charged: 15 Questions with… IONITY

EV charging behaviours to adopt

5 EV charging behaviours to take up and why they matter

Pole to pole interview blog header with zap mascots

Why do Chris and Julie, Pole to Pole, love electric vehicles? (Part 2)

Pole to Pole electric vehicle with zap mascots in the snow

Why do Chris and Julie, Pole to Pole, love electric vehicles? (Part 1)

Refer a friend competition blog header with mascot passing card

'Refer a friend' Competition 2024

Verschneite Urlaubsszene: bunte Marktzelte mit rosa Oktopusfiguren, darüber der Schlitten des Weihnachtsmanns und Rentiere, ein Elektroauto-Ladestation und ein Schneemann.

Christmas markets with EV charging nearby (global edition!)

Cartoon winter market with pink octopus characters in festive stalls, sleigh pulled by reindeer overhead, snowy trees and an EV charging station.

Which UK Christmas Markets Have EV Charging Stations?

Halloween header (2) - creepy constantine and scared zap

Things to do this Halloween in the UK (with EV charging stations)

Halloween header (DE)

Halloween events with EV charging nearby (Germany edition!)

halloween header (IT)

Halloween events with EV charging nearby (Italy edition!)

Halloween header (FR)

Halloween events with EV charging nearby (France edition!)

halloween header (ES)

Halloween events with EV charging nearby (Spain edition!)

InstaVolt CPO Blog Template

The ultimate charging network guide: InstaVolt

Attractions with EV Charging France

Top attractions with EV charging: France

IONITY CPO Blog Template

The ultimate charging network guide: IONITY

Festival Blog Header

UK Festivals with EV charging nearby

Refer a friend blog header

How to ‘Refer a friend’ to Octopus Electroverse?

Charging at the Olympics

Navigate the Paris Olympics in an EV!

Hotel blog header - UK

Hotels with EV charging nearby - UK

Drawing of an electric vehicle driving through the countryside

Dreamy EV Road Trips: UK Edition

ORA blog header

Octopus Electroverse teams up with GWM ORA for a Clean Air Day road trip

Hotel blog - Italy header (new)

Hotels with EV charging nearby - Italy

Un lindo pulpo rosado lee un mapa junto a un vehículo eléctrico azul y una maleta, sobre un fondo estrellado y morado.

The best gadgets for your electric vehicle

Cute octopus next to smartphone with colorful map, showcasing Octopus Electroverse app. Purple theme with pricing details and a charging card.

Which EV charging discounts and benefits can EV drivers get with Octopus Electroverse?

Top evs to buy secondhand

The top EVs to buy secondhand

Secondhand EV Buying

The ultimate guide to buying a secondhand EV

Milton Keynes to Nazare - blog header

Milton Keynes to Nazaré, Portugal (1,400-mile EV road trip)

Hotel blog - Germany

Hotels with EV charging nearby - Germany

Pink octopus in front of ev and signpost with German cities

EV charging in Germany: A complete guide to electric car charging stations (2026)

A cartoon character charges a phone displaying a map route, set against a sunny, grassy background with colourful stars.

How to use the Electroverse route planner

Blog header image featuring an electric vehicle

Mastering Efficiency: The Art of Driving Electric Vehicles

why is public charging more expensive header

Why can public charging be more expensive than home charging?

Cute octopus characters using pink and blue electric car charging stations, with stars and contactless payment symbols in the background.

How to pay for electric car charging on the public network

Electroverse 2023 A Year in Review - header

Octopus Electroverse 2023 Wrapped

How do EV batteries save the grid - header

Can electric vehicle batteries help power the grid?

Cute pink octopus holding a battery and phone, surrounded by wind turbines, stars, and leaves on a dark blue background.

What is Octopus Electroverse Plunge Pricing?

Tips and tricks - Header

Tips and tricks to overcome charging related dilemmas

driving an electric vehicle in the netherlands, with sign post displaying dutch cities

Driving an electric vehicle in the Netherlands

Wireless EV Charging header

What is wireless EV charging?

Hotel blog - Spain header (new)

Hotels with EV charging nearby - Spain

Hotel blog - France header

Hotels with EV charging nearby - France

Three smartphones display different app screens on a purple background, featuring an octopus mascot and colorful icons.

A beginner's guide to Octopus Electroverse

Blog header - electroverse customisations (new)

Electroverse customisations

A cute pink octopus with a French flag stands by a blue electric vehicle. Nearby is a signpost pointing to Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Dijon, and Nice.

Driving an electric vehicle in France

Driving your EV in (Spain) blog header image

Driving an electric vehicle in Spain

Two zapmen sat in a car looking at signposts which lead to Italian locations

Driving an electric vehicle in Italy

Octopus Electroverse mascot, Zapman, daydreaming about sharing an electric vehicle

Electric vehicle sharing

Octopus Electroverse mascot, Zapman, looking confused over EV car tax

Do I need to pay road tax on an electric vehicle?

Sign up/in to Electroverse header - zapmen on phone/laptop

Sign up (or in!) to Octopus Electroverse

Top tips for long road trips header

Top tips for long road trips!

Zoomed in visual of zapman looking confused with battery

How efficient are electric vehicles?

Green Lithium - New UK Lithium Refinery News Header

EV News: UK's first Lithium refinery

Holiday Blues Header - Sad Zap misses holiday

How to get over holiday blues (EV road trip edition)

Graphic of Octopus Electroverse mascot, Zapman, interviewing a colleague about the price drop of used electric cars

Second-hand electric vehicle prices are dropping!

Electroverse Features You Should Know (part 3) header

Octopus Electroverse features you should know (part 3)

EV Toolkit - Guide before you buy header

The Ultimate EV Toolkit

FAQs header with zapman on phone

Your most frequently asked questions, answered!

A cute pink octopus near a house charges an electric car with colorful stars in the background.

What is bidirectional charging?

The Octopus Electroverse charging card - Electrocard - being tapped on an electric vehicle charger

How to use an Octopus Electrocard

Octopus Electroverse mascot, Zapman, charges EV using an on-street charger

How to use an untethered, on-street EV charger

zapman holding broken charger

What to do if an EV charge point is broken or out of order?

Zapman driving zap in an EV taxi

Local electric taxis in the UK

surrey to normandy header

Surrey to Normandy (1,000-mile EV road trip)

driving stories norwich to stratford, london - header

Norwich to Stratford, London (240-mile EV road trip)

Can EV batteries be recycled header

Can EV batteries be recycled?

Graph showing charging time vs. constant kW and charge capacity (%). Features a pink cartoon octopus pointing at the chart.

What is a charging curve?

lancashire to hampshire EV driving stories 1

Lancashire to Hampshire (249-mile EV road trip)

How to use the Electroverse car apps Oct 24

How to use the Octopus Electroverse car apps

EV rental companies header

How to rent an EV

Header for International Women's Day Blog

Electric Power: Women in EVs

Three pink octopuses holding gadgets smile between two electric cars in a colourful, starry background.

What is Plug & Charge?

Octopus Electroverse mascot, Zapman, standing by an EV charger, confused.

Which charging networks offer rapid and ultra-rapid charging speeds?

Image shows key illustrations celebrating 2022 for octopus electric universe

Octopus Electroverse 2022 Wrapped

Image show Octopus Electric Universe mascot, Zapman, using the Electroverse app to make public charging simple

Electroverse features you should know (part 2)

A pink octopus with a phone stands in a parking lot with electric vehicle charging stations under a starry sky.

Top tips for using the public charging network

Image shows Electric Universe mascot, Zapman, demonstrating how electricity is generated for EV charging

What affects your EV charging speed?

image shows Electric Universe mascot, Zapman, getting an electric car through the Octopus Salary Sacrifice Scheme

How can I get an electric car through salary sacrifice?

Image shows Zapman, the Electric Universe mascot, driving an electric car in the winter

How does cold weather affect EV battery capacity?

Image shows Zapman, Electric Universe mascot, reading books on the history of the electric vehicle

The History of the Electric Vehicle (...and what's to come!)

Image shows Zapman, Electric Universe mascot, questioning the difference between kW and kWh

kW v kWh – what's the difference?

Illustration of a car charging interface on three smartphones, with a cartoon character interacting with a charging station, surrounded by stars.

How to charge your car... from your phone!