The IEC 62196-2 Type 2 connector (sometimes referred to as Mennekes for the German company that designed it) is used for charging electric vehicles using AC power, mainly within Europe, Australia, NZ and many other countries outside of North America.

The connector was chosen by the EU to promote electric mobility and ensure interoperability between different vehicles and charging stations.

[7] The IEC 62196 Type 1 connector (codified under SAE J1772) is the corresponding standard for single-phase AC charging in the United States, Canada, and South Korea.

[9] In North America, the same Type 2 physical connector is used for three-phase AC charging under the SAE J3068 standard, which uses Local Interconnect Network (LIN) for control signaling based on IEC 61851-1 Edition 3 Annex D.[10][11] J3068 increases the maximum output to 166 kW using three-phase AC.

GB/T 20234-2 specifies cables with Type 2-style male connectors on both ends, and a female inlet on vehicles[12]—the opposite gender to the rest of the world, and with different control signaling.

They are allocated as: Some vehicle inlets may contain the extra connections to allow the CCS DC-only charger (high-current DC) to be inserted.

[18] Communication takes place over the CP/PP signaling pins between the charger, cable, and vehicle to ensure that the highest common denominator of voltage and current is selected.