science

SAE J1772

SAE J1772 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SAE J1772 rather than just read about it. In short: SAE J1772, also known as a J plug or Type 1 connector after its international standard, IEC 62196 Type 1, is surpassed by the SAE J3400 NACS North American standard for electrical connectors for electric vehicles. It is maintained by SAE International under the formal title "SAE Surface Vehicle Recommended Practice J1772, SAE Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler".

Key takeaways

SAE J1772 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SAE J1772 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SAE J1772 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SAE J1772, also known as a J plug or Type 1 connector after its international standard, IEC 62196 Type 1, is surpassed by the SAE J3400 NACS North American standard for electrical connectors for electric vehicles. It is maintained by SAE International under the formal title "SAE Surface Vehicle Recommended Practice J1772, SAE Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler". The SAE maintains the general physical, electrical, communication protocol, and performance requirements for the electric vehicle conductive charge system and coupler. The intent is to define a common electric vehicle conductive charging system architecture including operational requirements and the functional and dimensional requirements for the vehicle inlet and mating connector. The J1772 5-pin standard supports a wide range of single-phase (1φ) alternating current (AC) charging rates. They range from portable devices that can connect to a household NEMA 5-15 outlet that can deliver 1.44 kW (12 A @ 120 V) to hardwired equipment that can deliver up to 19.2 kW (80 A @ 240 V). These connectors are sometimes informally referred to as chargers, but they are "electric vehicle supply equipment" (EVSE), since they only supply AC power to the vehicle's on-board charger, which then converts it to the direct current (DC) needed to recharge the battery. The Combined Charging System (CCS) Combo 1 connector builds on the standard, adding two additional pins for DC fast charging up to 350 kW.

History

The main stimulus for the development of SAE J1772 came from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Early electric vehicles like the General Motors EV1 and Toyota RAV4 EV used Magne Charge (SAE J1773), an inductive system. CARB rejected the inductive technology in favor of conductive coupling to supply electricity for recharging. In June 2001, CARB adopted the SAE J1772-2001 standard as the charging interface for electric vehicles in California. This early version of the connector was made by Avcon and featured a rectangular connector capable of delivering up to 6.6 kW of electrical power. The California regulations mandated the usage of SAE J1772-2001 beginning with the 2006 model year. CARB later asked for higher current delivery than the 6.6 kW that the 2001 J1772 (Avcon) standard supported. This process led to the proposal of a new round connector design by Yazaki which allowed for an increased power delivery of up to 19.2 kW delivered via single phase 120–240 V AC at up to 80 amps. In 2008, CARB published a new standard that mandated the usage of the new connector beginning with the 2010 model year; this was approved in 2012. The Yazaki plug that was built to the new SAE J1772 plug standard successfully completed certification at UL. The standard specification was subsequently voted upon by the SAE committee in July 2009. On January 14, 2010, the SAE J1772 REV 2009 was adopted by the SAE Motor Vehicle Council. The companies participating in or supporting the revised 2009 standard include smart, Chrysler, GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Rivian, and Tesla. The SAE J1772-2009 connector specification was subsequently added to the international IEC 62196-2 standard (“Part 2: Dimensional compatibility and interchangeability requirements for a.c. pin and contact-tube accessories”) with voting on the final specification slated to close in May 2011. The SAE J1772 connector is considered a “Type 1” implementation providing a single phase coupler.

Vehicle equipment The SAE J1772-2009 was adopted by electric vehicle manufacturers in the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. The connector became standard equipment in the U.S. market due to the availability of charging stations supporting it in the nation's electric vehicle network (helped by funding such as the ChargePoint America program drawing grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). The European versions were equipped with a SAE J1772-2009 inlet as well until the automotive industry settled on the IEC Type 2 “Mennekes” connector as the standard inlet – since all IEC connectors use the same SAE J1772 signaling protocol the car manufacturers are selling cars with either a SAE J1772-2009 inlet or an IEC Type 2 inlet depending on the regional market. There are also (passive) adapters available that can convert J1772-2009 to IEC Type 2 and vice versa. The only difference is that many European versions have an on-board charger that can take advantage of three-phase electric power with higher voltage and current limits even for the same basic electric vehicle model (such as the Chevrolet Volt/Opel Ampera).

Combined Charging System (CCS)

In 2011, SAE developed a J1772/CCS Combo Coupler variant of the J1772-2009 connector. This was to support the Combined Charging System standard for direct current (DC) fast charging, which includes the standard 5-pin J1772 connector along with an additional two larger pins to support fast DC charging. Combo 1 accommodates charging at 200–920 volts DC and up to 350 kW.[1] The combination coupler also uses power-line communication technology to communicate between the vehicle, off-board charger, and smart grid. Seven car makers (Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Porsche, Volvo, and Volkswagen) agreed in late 2011 to introduce the Combined Charging System in mid-2012. The first vehicles using the SAE Combo plug were the BMW i3 released in late 2013, and the Chevrolet Spark EV released in 2014. In Europe, the combo coupler is based on the Type 2 (VDE) AC charging connector (Combo 2) maintaining full compatibility with the SAE specification for DC charging and the HomePlug Green PHY PLC protocol. In 2019 Tesla introduced the Model 3 with a CCS Combo 2 plug in Europe, but has not introduced models with CCS in the US. With the introduction of the Model 3 in Europe, Tesla added CCS charging cables to V2 Superchargers (supporting both CCS Combo 2 and Tesla DC Type 2). European V3 and V4 Tesla Superchargers include only a CCS charging cable.

Properties

Connector The J1772-2009 connector is designed for single phase alternating current electrical systems with 120 V or 240 V such as those used in North America and Japan. The round 43-millimetre (1.7 in) diameter connector is keyed and has five pins (viewed from outside of the plug):

The connector is designed to withstand 10,000 mating cycles (a connection and a disconnection) and exposure to the elements. With 1 mating cycle per day, the connector's lifespan should exceed 27 years.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SAE J1772

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SAE J1772 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SAE J1772 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SAE J1772 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SAE J1772

In research: SAE J1772 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SAE J1772 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SAE J1772 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Automotive standards, Charging stations, International Electrotechnical Commission, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SAE J1772 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “SAE J1772” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study SAE J1772 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SAE J1772 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SAE J1772 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SAE J1772 in simple terms?

Why does SAE J1772 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SAE J1772?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SAE J1772.