What is an EV Charging Gun Waterproof Micro switch and How It Works

2025-05-15

With the strengthening of people's concept of environmental protection, the energy vehicles market is growing, and the requirements for EV supporting facilities are becoming more and more shrewd and strict, in which micro switches play an important role in enhancing the performance of EV charging guns. As a micro switch manufacturer, we will introduce you what EV charging gun micro switch is and how it enhances the performance of charging gun in this article.

What is an EV Charging Gun Waterproof Micro switch？

EV charging gun waterproof micro switch is a kind of mini electrical component for transmitting signals, which is usually protected by IP67 or above, waterproof and dustproof, suitable for outdoor use. This kind of micro switch only needs a very light force to activate, but at the same time provides precise circuit opening and closing. There are 2 main types of EV charging gun switches: one is a motor electronic lock switch, and the other is a G303 sealed subminiature micro switch.

What is Motor Electronic Lock for Charging?

The core of the motor electronic lock for charging is a DC motor driven latch mechanism that secures the charging connector firmly in the vehicle inlet, ensuring a safe and uninterrupted power transfer.

Features

IP67 Protection: The locking assembly is encapsulated in a rugged housing with rubber gaskets and epoxy seals, preventing water and dust ingress even under temporary submersion to 1 m for 30 min.

Robust Materials: External components use corrosion‑resistant alloys and UV‑stable plastics to withstand harsh outdoor conditions and UV exposure.

Dual Modes: Supports both automatic locking upon plug insertion and manual release via an override lever, ensuring failsafe operation during power or control‑circuit faults.

Stable Engagement: The DC motor drives a positive‑lock latch, preventing accidental disconnection under vibration or pull forces common in public charging stations. Additionally, the fast response time, Locking time/Unlocking time is less than 300m S.

Long-lifespan: It operates on 12 VDC, completes lock or unlock cycles in ≤ 300 ms (improving on typical 600 ms–1 s ranges), endures −40 °C to +85 °C environments, and boasts a minimum mechanical life of 60,000 cycles.

Principle of Operation

The motor electronic lock is used to lock the charging plug to ensure safe connection and smooth charging process.

Detect plug insertion: When the plug of the electric vehicle is inserted into the new energy charging gun, the sensor will detect the plug insertion signal.
Activate the motor electronic lock: Once the plug insertion is detected, the control board will send a signal to the motor electronic lock to activate the locking device.
Locking the plug: the motor electronic lock will lock the charging plug when activated so that it is firmly attached to the charging gun to avoid accidental dislodgement during the charging process.
Charging process: After the plug is locked, the charging gun will transmit power to the electric vehicle and start the charging process.
Completion of charging: When charging is complete, press the unlock motor electronic lock to release the plug so that it can be removed from the charging gun.

What is EV Sealed Micro Switch？

EV sealed micro switches use materials such as high-density plastics, rubber seals, and epoxy resins to provide a hermetic barrier to the internal structure, preventing moisture, dust, and contaminants from entering the internal contacts. Typically IP67 rated for water and dust resistance or IP68 rated for continuous water submersion.

Features

Waterproof and dustproof: Sealed switches usually use hot injection molding sealing technology, waterproof materials for the shell, waterproof coatings for the terminals, etc., and so on. It is suitable for electric vehicle charging stations and charging guns that are outdoors for a long time.

Compact and ultra-small design: EV charging micro switches are often subminiature micro switches, imagine it smaller than your fingernail cap - that are easy to integrate into the tight spaces of EV charging guns, motor locks and battery modules.

Snap action: Snap-action structure allows the internal contacts to make contact with minimal movement, increasing response speed and further improving sensitivity while also ensuring precise activation.

Principle of Operation

Charging gun as charging equipment and electric vehicle charging battery connection bridge, to ensure that the charging pile and charging gun connection consistency in order to provide power support for new energy vehicle charging. The charging gun has several connectors, each representing a different power source or control signal. Currently the commonly used charging methods are AC charging and DC charging.

Send a signal to change the resistance: The electric vehicle charging micro switch mainly plays the role of recognizing the electric signal, and changes the resistance value in the circuit through the switch's on and off. Different resistance values correspond to different charging states.
Recognize resistance: By changing the resistance value, the electric car senses the change of resistance signal, so as to screen whether to continue charging or stop charging.

How to Select a Micro switch Manufacturer

IP and Contact Ratings: Ensure IP67/IP68 certification and verify AC/DC contact ratings match typical fast-charging high-voltage DC loads.

Quality and Certifications: Ensure that the product is IP67/IP68 certified and verify that the AC/DC contact ratings are compatible with typical fast-charging high-voltage DC loads. Also look for UL, CQC, and ENEC certifications to ensure durability and compliance.

Reputation and experience: Ask the manufacturer to provide examples of past collaborations and whether they have experience with production similar to your project to assist you in determining the manufacturer's level of production and experience.

Customization capability: Choose a supplier that offers built-in resistors, various actuator levers, and customized resistor values to fit different models of charging guns.

Manufacturing and testing standards: Require all products to undergo in-house IP testing and lifecycle testing prior to shipment to ensure reliability.

Post-sales support and lead times: Choose a manufacturer that offers technical support, development capabilities and a stable supply chain to minimize downtime and design iterations.

Conclusion

In the growing field of electric vehicles, waterproof micro switches for electric vehicle charging guns play a pivotal role in ensuring a safe, reliable and efficient charging process. The motor electronic lock switch secures the charging plug with an automatic DC motor drive, while the sealed micro switch utilizes a snap-action design and sealing to transmit a precise resistance signal for charging control. When selecting a manufacturer, prioritize IP certifications, compliance with industry standards (UL, CQC), customization capabilities and rigorous testing protocols to ensure product durability and compatibility.

Unionwell is a leading micro switch manufacturer in China, providing high quality micro switches to global customers, including giants in the automotive industry. 90% of our production and testing has been automated, and we have obtained global safety certificates such as ISO, ENEC, UL, and so on. Contact us now to upgrade your charging gun!