Automakers Unveil Universal Fast Charger

 

There has been a lot of debate over the fast-charging standards of future electric vehicles. While Tesla has been busy perfecting its own “supercharger”, the world’s leading automakers, among them GM, VW, and Ford, have come out with a universal fast charger for future plug-in automobiles.

This united, single charger will mean that makers of EV charging stations will have a single template to follow. The Society of Automotive Engineers has been working with automakers to help develop a single standard, rather than allowing each automaker to develop their own system.

This universal charger is said to be a Level 3 charger that can rapidly charge EV’s in as little as 15-20 minutes. Not quite the 5-minute fillup of current petrol cars, but this rapid charger could help speed acceptance of electric vehicles among the car-buying public.

All three American automakers are on-board with this new system, as is Audi, BMW, Porsche, VW, and Daimler (parent company of Mercedes). Interestingly enough, these are all European and American automakers, even though Japanese car companies are producing far more electric and plug-in vehicles.

Were the Japenese companies frozen out? Did they simply choose not to participate? Or are Japan’s automakers developing their own charging system? This one has me scratching my head, that’s for sure.

Source: gas2.0