Seven American and German auto manufacturers have agreed to support one, single, standardized approach to fast-charging electric cars. This agreement eliminates one more obstacle in making electric cars more accessible to the car buying and traveling public.
It means current owners and prospective buyers of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids have the owners the added comfort of knowing they can charge at any so-called Level 2 charging station. Before this agreement, an EV owner had no way of knowing if the charge port they were pulling up to was compatible with their vehicle.
In alphabetical order, the car companies are Audi, BMW, Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen, all of which have – or will soon have – a plug-in hybrid or pure electric car on the road. Not part of this agreement are Japanese automakers Toyota, Nissan or Hyundai, which also have or will soon have an EV or PHEV model.
The standardized approach means all seven companies would use the same port – or plug – to fast-charge electric and PHEV vehicles in Europe and the United States. This is important, because it means electric vehicles from Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen can use the same fast charging stations. It also means manufacturers of charging stations, including Coloumb, AeroVironment and Leviton, can manufacture a single port.
The seven auto manufacturers also agreed to use the same communication system — HomePlug GreenPHY – as the way cars and charging stations communicate with one another. That will help integrate the growing number of EVs into future smart grid applications.
A common charging approach is good for customers, the industry and charging infrastructure providers. Standardization will reduce build complexity for manufacturers, accelerate the installation of common systems internationally and most importantly, improve the ownership experience for EV drivers.
There are three types of electric car charging. Level 1 is ordinary household 110 volt, and requires 8-10 hours to fully recharge a car. Level 2, or 220V charging in the U.S., similar to what is required for heavy-duty household equipment like a clothes dryer, requires 4-5 hours. The standardized electric vehicle charging solution is backward compatible with the J1772 connector standard in the U.S., and in Europe where the system is based on the IEC 62196 Type 2.
The agreement by top American and German manufacturers to standardize electric car charging systems is sure to put pressure on Japanese manufacturers to join the club.
Toyota is introducing two pure electric vehicles in 2012 – the RAV4 EV and the Scion IQ EV, plus the plug-in Prius PHEV. And Nissan has delivered more than 7,000 of its all-electric Nissan Leaf models in the first six months it was available in the U. S., and has expanded its availability in additional states.