NRMA to phase out CHAdeMO EV plugs

The NRMA is phasing out the legacy CHAdeMO plug standard from its EV charging network, in a bid to mitigate congestion and improve charger availability at high-usage locations. 

Both CHAdeMO and CCS2 plug types are available at a number of NRMA sites, but the CHAdeMO plugs are severely under-utilised because relatively few EVs in Australia now rely on the standard. On many older dual-plug chargers, a CHAdeMO session can also prevent the paired CCS2 plug from being used at the same time, limiting the number of vehicles that can charge from that unit. 

This becomes important at high-usage locations, especially during peak travel periods such as public holidays. 

Moreover, government-funded public fast-charging sites used to be required to provide both CHAdeMO and CCS2 plugs, but this has shifted. 

For this reason, the NRMA will now phase out CHAdeMO plugs at selected locations, starting with those under the greatest demand that have the least CHAdeMo usage. This will reduce congestion, as selected charging units can be converted to dual CCS2 use, allowing more vehicles to charge concurrently and improving availability. 

First developed in Japan and introduced in 2010, CHAdeMO was used in early electric vehicles such as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf. The name CHAdeMO stands for “CHArge de MOve”. It has been largely superseded by the CCS2 plug standard, though a small number of low-volume models sold in Australia still use CHAdeMO for DC fast charging. 

In the Australian new car market CHAdeMO is now mainly found on the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV and Lexus UX 300e. Older CHAdeMO-equipped Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV models remain on the used market. 

Models that use the CHAdeMO plug standard were favoured by early EV buyers for their potential to use the car as a 'battery on wheels', due to CHAdeMO’s established bi-directional charging ability. However, newer CCS-based bi-directional charging standards are now emerging, reducing one of CHAdeMO’s former advantages as the broader market shifts to CCS2. 

Owners of vehicles that use the CHAdeMO plug standard, such as the Nissan Leaf, may be able to access some CCS2 chargers using a compatible CCS2-to-CHAdeMO adaptor, but compatibility can vary by vehicle, charger and adaptor. Owners should check with their vehicle manufacturer, adaptor supplier and charging provider before relying on this option. 

Is CHAdeMO dead? 

Not quite, but in Australia it is clearly moving into legacy status. CHAdeMO is still used by a small number of EVs and plug-in hybrids, and it remains important for some older Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV and Lexus UX 300e owners. 

Most new EVs sold in Australia, however, use CCS2 for DC fast charging, making CHAdeMO a low-use plug type on many public charging networks. That means charging providers are increasingly having to weigh up whether a CHAdeMO plug is the best use of limited space, hardware and grid capacity, particularly at busy highway and holiday-route locations. 

CHAdeMO is not being switched off everywhere overnight. But as older chargers are replaced and sites are upgraded, it is likely to become harder to find CHAdeMO at some public charging locations, especially where operators are prioritising dual CCS2 stalls that can serve more vehicles. 

The NRMA will provide communications via the app of impending changes and drivers should regularly check the app for any advisory change notes. 

Is CHAdeMO still used in Japan? 

Yes. CHAdeMO is still widely used in Japan, where it was developed and where it remains part of the country’s public charging infrastructure. Japan has a much larger installed base of CHAdeMO chargers than Australia, and the standard has also been closely linked with vehicle-to-grid and bi-directional charging capability. Reuters reported in 2025 that Japanese government support for EV charging infrastructure had traditionally focused on the local CHAdeMO standard. 

That said, CHAdeMO’s future is also changing in Japan. The CHAdeMO Association says the latest CHAdeMO protocol has evolved through the ChaoJi program, developed with international partners, with much higher-power charging capability than earlier CHAdeMO systems. Japan has also moved to allow higher-voltage DC charging, which is expected to support next-generation fast chargers. 

So CHAdeMO is not dead globally, but it is being overtaken in Australia. For Australian drivers, CCS2 is now the dominant standard for new EVs and public charging rollout, while CHAdeMO is increasingly a legacy connector kept mainly for older and lower-volume models.