Gridly
CHAdeMO
An older DC fast-charging standard originally developed by Japanese manufacturers. Largely superseded by CCS2 in Australia, but still found on older Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV models.
Background
CHAdeMO was developed by a consortium of Japanese manufacturers - Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru), and Tokyo Electric Power Company - and became one of the first commercially deployed DC fast-charging standards when the Nissan Leaf launched in 2010.
The name is a contraction of “CHArge de MOve” and also, somewhat deliberately, echoes the Japanese phrase o cha demo (“how about some tea?”) - the idea being you’d charge your car in roughly the time it takes to have a cup of tea.
Why it lost ground in Australia
CHAdeMO and CCS2 were in direct competition through the 2010s, with most public charging infrastructure forced to install both plug types to cover the market. Over time, the major European and American manufacturers converged on CCS, and Japanese manufacturers began transitioning too. By the mid-2020s, CHAdeMO is essentially the legacy standard.
In Australia, new vehicles with CHAdeMO ports stopped arriving with any volume around 2021–2022. Nissan’s Ariya uses CCS2. The current Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV uses AC charging only. The vehicles still out there with CHAdeMO are primarily first- and second-generation Nissan Leafs.
V2H significance
One area where CHAdeMO remains uniquely relevant is Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) charging. The CHAdeMO standard included bidirectional charging capability early - the connector can push power back out of the vehicle, not just into it. This is why the Nissan Leaf was, for years, the only vehicle available in Australia capable of genuine V2H via products like the Wallbox Quasar (a CHAdeMO-compatible bidirectional charger).
CCS2’s Vehicle-to-Grid and V2H capability is technically specified but slower to arrive in commercially available products. CHAdeMO has a head start in this one niche.
Charger availability
Most major charging networks in Australia still maintain CHAdeMO heads at sites where the hardware supports it, but new installations are CCS2-only. If you own an older Leaf and rely on public fast charging, verify the specific site has a CHAdeMO cable before you arrive - it’s no longer safe to assume.