DC fast charging
High-power public charging that feeds direct current straight into the battery, so a large share of a charge can take tens of minutes rather than hours.
DC fast charging is the road-trip kind of charging. The station converts grid power to direct current itself and feeds it straight into the battery, bypassing the car's onboard charger and its modest AC limit. That is what allows the higher power levels: the EPA says public DC fast chargers generally range between 50 and 350 kW, and the US Department of Energy says up to 500 kW is possible.
A car's peak DC rate in kW is the number manufacturers advertise, but the EPA notes that every vehicle has its own maximum it can accept, so a faster charger does not speed up a car beyond that. Real stop times depend on the whole charging curve, how power falls as the battery fills, which is why CarPairly lists the 10–80% charging time as the comparison figure.
The Australian Government lists battery temperature, state of charge and the charger's own rating among the factors, and says DC sessions typically cost more than AC ones. Connectors vary by region: CCS2 in the EU and Australia; CCS1, CHAdeMO or NACS in the US; CHAdeMO in Japan.
Differs by market
Connectors differ by market: CCS2 in the EU and Australia; CCS1, CHAdeMO or NACS in the US. Australia describes DC chargers as ranging from 25 to 350 kW.