Universal EV charger to be launched next week
The new charger to be used by a majority of US and European automakers. — Picture courtesy of VolkswagenNEW YORK, May 5 — A consortium of global automakers is set to unveil a universal charger for electric vehicles next week.
The standardised charger, which will be in use on both sides of the Atlantic, is one of the first attempts to harmonise charging in the rapidly-growing electric vehicle market.
With the backing of Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen, the new charging technology should be on sale by the end of the year, with cars using the technology coming out in 2013.
It will allow cars from the automakers above to use almost any charging station, as it can handle both fast and slow AC charging and ultra-fast DC charging now becoming available at public charge stations.
The DC technology means that cars equipped to handle ultra-fast charging could top-up with electricity in as little as 15-20 minutes, the automakers say.
However, the list of proponents of the new technology is missing one — rather major — name.
Nissan, currently the world’s biggest producer of battery-electric vehicles thanks to the success of its Leaf, uses an alternative system developed in Japan, which requires different plugs for standard and rapid charging.
Mitsubishi, which makes the iMiEV model (sold as the Mitsubishi i in the US) also uses Nissan’s charging technology called CHAdeMO.
The system from European and US automakers will be formally unveiled at the the Electric Vehicle Symposium 26 (EVS26), which runs from May 6-9 in Los Angeles, California. — AFP-Relaxnews
