Volkswagen, Nissan Contributing To EV Charging Infrastructure

Electric car advocates agree that charging infrastructure is the key to making EVs appeal to mainstream drivers. This week, both Volkswagen and Nissan are putting their shoulders to the wheel to expand the EV charging infrastructure in the United States. In the Northeast, Nissan announced a partnership with EVgo at the New York auto show. The two companies will install a total of nine DC fast charging facilities in the busy Boston to Washington transportation corridor.

The Nissan — EVgo Partnership

The chargers will feature both CHAdeMO and Combined Charging System DC fast-charging outlets as a part of Nissan’s inclusive “Infrastructure for All” initiative. The two charging standards are competing for dominance in the EV charging environment. CHAdeMO is preferred by most Asian manufacturers while CCS is the choice of most European and US manufacturers. Tesla uses its own proprietary charging technology but its cars can be connected to a CHAdeMO charger with an adapter.

Nissan says the new chargers will give peace of mind to electric car drivers who use the busy Interstate 95 corridor. The facilities are already under construction and expected to be operational by this fall. Each will be able to charge up to 4 cars at a time at a power of 50 kW. They have been pre-wired for a high power charging at up to 150 kW with simple upgrades once that technology is available.

“Regardless of range capability, a convenient fast charge infrastructure along high traffic routes is imperative in the mass adoption of electric vehicles,” said JeSean Hopkins, senior manager for EV infrastructure strategy & business development at Nissan North America. “This element of the EV equation is seemingly overlooked by others, but we’re all in. Following a similar project in California, this is our second ‘corridor’ project in the U.S. and completion is expected in time for the launch of the all-new Nissan LEAF.”

Volkswagen’s Electrify America Plan

Volkswagen’s contribution is not as voluntary as Nissan’s. As part of its agreement to make amends for its diesel emissions cheating scandal, it agreed to spend $2 billion dollars to add to the nation’s EV charging infrastructure. It has formed a new division called Electrify America to carry out its part in the court ordered plan. This week, it announced the first $300 million will be used to create a national network of 450 electric car charging stations in 11 “major metropolitan areas” and along heavily traveled highways in 39 states.

The 240 highway stations will include both chargers capable of up to 150 kW of charging power. Those same chargers will be able to handle up to 320 kW of power in the future. That’s enough to provided most EV drivers with an 80% charge in about 15 minutes.

Volkswagen is prohibited by the terms of the court decree from using the charging network from promoting its own electric car business the way Tesla uses its Superchargers. But it can’t hurt Volkswagen’s chances of selling electric cars in America if the range anxiety that holds so many mainstream drivers back when it comes to driving an electric car is reduced.

Of course, it is ludicrous to have three different charging standards all competing with each other — CHAdeMO, CCS, and Tesla. It’s like having different gas pumps that only fit certain brands of cars. Eventually, one of those standards is going to win out and become the accepted norm. It is also absurd to have a welter of different payment protocols. EV drivers need a one touch app that takes care of all billing for all chargers everywhere. Once we have a harmonized charging standard and convenient billing, the electric car revolution will finally be ready for takeoff.

Source: Electric Cars Report, Endgadget

European Electric Carmakers Announce Major Ultra-Fast Charging Network

If things go to plan for a pervasive ultra-fast charging network in Europe, by 2020 automakers will make publically recharging electric cars as convenient as a fuel station stop.

That’s the takeaway from an ambitious collaboration announced today by BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche.

As they anticipate a profound ramp up in plug-in electric cars starting now, the major automakers say they are investing in an initial 400 ultra-fast charging 350-kW sites along critical highways.

“By 2020, consumers should have access to thousands of high-powered charging points,” said Ford on behalf of fellow collaborators in outlining the undertaking.

While estimated recharge times were not given – and ultimately will depend on how large a battery needs to be filled – the up-to 350 kW charge standard is significantly above anything now in service, including Tesla Superchargers.

Tesla cars cannot presently use CCS fast chargers. They can use CHAdeMO chargers via an adapter that Tesla sells for $450 in the U.S. That adapter is limited by specification to CHAdeMO’s existing 125A specification (really 62.5 kW but sometimes called 50 kW) specification.

Indeed, the planned faster network using a competing charge standard, while not stated by the collaborators, appears to be a direct response to Tesla’s Supercharger network, Tesla has also announced aggressive EV expansion plans and recently said it plans a new joint Gigafactory battery plant and car assembly plant in Europe.

On that note, the collaborators have agreed to use the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard, with the aim of being as inclusive – not exclusive – of as many EV makers as possible, assuming they also design cars compatible with this standard.

At the Paris Motor Show, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche introduced its new EQ brand. The move parallels ongoing initiatives by VW Group and BMW.

The automakers, who will be equal partners in the collaboration, say their next-generation battery electric vehicles will be optimized to take advantage of the quick fill, and they invite other automakers to join in.

“Vehicles engineered to accept the full power of the charge stations can recharge brand-independently in a fraction of the time of today’s battery electric vehicles,” said Ford on behalf of the collaborating manufacturers. “The network is intended to serve all Combined Charging System-equipped vehicles to facilitate battery electric vehicle adoption in Europe.

Unstated is exactly how much money all this will cost.

“The automobile manufacturers intend to make substantial investments to create the network, underscoring each company’s belief in the future of electric mobility,” said Ford.

Otherwise, the chief executives of the different brands all gave their take on why they are doing it, led off with BMW which has its i-brand represented by the i3 and i8.

“This high-power charging network provides motorists with another strong argument to move toward electric mobility,” said Harald Krüger, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG. “The BMW Group has initiated numerous public charging infrastructure projects over the last years. The joint project is another major milestone clearly demonstrating that competitors are combining forces to ramp up e-mobility.”

BMW was one of the companies who in October said it wants 15-25 percent of its sales coming from plug-in electrified cars. While it got an early head start on electrification, it’s caught criticism for being slow to develop new i-series models faster.

Today’s news indicates it has not at all lost the vision, which in turn is shared by rival Daimler AG which in October announced its EQ brand, and plans for 15-25 percent of all sales to be plug-in by 2025.

Generation EQ.

“The breakthrough of e-mobility requires two things: convincing vehicles and a comprehensive charging infrastructure. With our new brand EQ, we are launching our electric product offensive: by 2025, our portfolio will include more than 10 fully electric passenger cars. Together with our partners, we are now installing the highest-powered charging infrastructure in Europe,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “The availability of high-power stations allows long-distance e-mobility for the first time and will convince more and more customers to opt for an electric vehicle.”

Audi e-tron Quattro.

And not to be forgotten is the VW Group, which intends 30 battery electric cars spread among its 13 brands by 2025, and said this year it wants 20-25 percent of sales coming from plug-in cars by 2025.

Brands Americans know, aside from VW, are Porsche and Audi.

“We intend to create a network that allows our customers on long-distance trips to use a coffee break for recharging,” said Rupert Stadler, chairman of the board of management of AUDI AG. “Reliable, fast charging services are a key factor for drivers to choose an electric vehicle. With this cooperation, we want to boost broader market adoption of e-mobility and speed up the shift toward emission-free driving.”

The one U.S. based carmaker doing business in Europe that’s collaborating in the charging network initiative, Ford, says it too is on board, as it otherwise reinvents itself into a mobility company.

“A reliable, ultra-fast charging infrastructure is important for mass consumer adoption and has the potential to transform the possibilities for electric driving,” said Mark Fields, president and CEO, Ford Motor Company. “Ford is committed to developing vehicles and technologies that make people’s lives better, and this charging network will make it easier and more practical for consumers across Europe to own electrified vehicles.”

“There are two decisive aspects for us: ultra-fast charging and placing the charging stations at the right positions,” said Oliver Blume, chairman of the executive board of Porsche AG. “Together, these two factors enable us to travel in an all-electrically powered car as in a conventional combustion engine vehicle. As an automobile manufacturer, we actively shape our future, not only by developing all-electrically powered vehicles, but by building up the necessary infrastructure as well.”

The carmakers call the initiative an “unprecedented collaboration” but more will need to be seen. Plans are to get started in 2017 and appear to add substance to the push to make EVs mainstream.

Behind it all are of course regulations forcing automakers to clean up their fleets. The Paris Accord on climate change in 2015 also saw 195 nations agree that the world faces a deadline to slow the rate of global temperature increase.

These forces backed by threat to the ecosystems and environments of the world are the lever that appears to be moving formerly reluctant players to embrace electrification.

These are truly unique times in the history of motorized transportation.

U.S. to offer $4.5 billion for electric-car charging stations via DoE loan guarantees

2017 BMW i3

The Obama Administration said yesterday that it will invest up to $4.5 billion to build electric-car charging stations in a major push to create comprehensive charging infrastructure in the U.S.

Officials hope this will lead to the construction of enough new charging stations to quell "range anxiety" and enhance the appeal of electric cars for consumers.

The program will use Department of Energy (DoE) loan guarantees, and promote partnerships between Federal, state, and local governments and automakers.

Among the goals of the program are a national network of DC fast-charging stations, and the creation of a coalition among 50 carmakers, utilities, and charging-network operators that will work together to ramp up charging infrastructure.

State and local governments will also be encouraged to buy electric cars for their fleets.

The DOE believes increased charging infrastructure will pave the way for widespread electric-car adoption.

Tesla Model S at Supercharger site in Ventura, CA, with just one slot open [photo: David Noland]

The Sierra Club praised the initiative, calling it a step toward "breaking BigOil's monopoly on American transit."

While buyers consistently cite the lack of charging infrastructure as a major obstacle to purchase of electric cars, longer battery ranges probably would do the most toward boosting electric car numbers, Karl Brauer, an analyst for Kelley Blue Book, said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Brauer noted that charging an electric car still takes significantly longer than filling up at a gas station.

Most DC fast-charging stations can charge an electric-car battery pack to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes to an hour, while 240-volt Level 2 AC stations require several hours for a full recharge.

2016 Nissan Leaf

The more convenient option would be to simply stop less, Brauer argued.

That will be a more realistic option for a larger portion of drivers in the coming years, as more-affordable 200-mile electric cars arrive in showrooms.

The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV boasts a range of 200 miles or more, and a base prices of less than $40,000 before Federal, state, and local incentives.

The upcoming second-generation Nissan Leaf is also expected to have a 200-mile range, and will likely be priced close to the current model.

Similar specs apply to the Tesla Model 3, as well as anticipated models over the next two or three years from BMW, Volkswagen, and other makers.

CHAdeMO DC fast-charging to run at up to 150 kilowatts, starting in 2017

DC fast charging 2015 Kia Soul EV

As more longer-range electric vehicles go on sale, the charging infrastructure that supports them will need to adapt to bigger batteries.

When it comes to DC fast charging, more powerful charging stations will be needed to charge electric cars with larger-capacity battery packs within a reasonable amount of time.

With that in mind, the consortium behind the CHAdeMO fast-charging standard plans to move toward stations that operate at 150 kilowatts, from the current 50-kW average.

The move to higher-power charging was announced at the CHAdeMO Association General Assembly in Tokyo last week, along with station upgrade plans.

An amendment to the CHAdeMO technical protocol accounting for higher-power charging will be released later this year, while the first 150-kW stations will be installed in 2017, a CHAdeMO Association statement said.

The CHAdeMO protocol and connector set is favored by Asian manufacturers, and is currently used by the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and Kia Soul EV in the U.S. market.

NRG eVgo electric-car charging station

Plugs and other equipment will remain the same, so cars set up for both the current 50-kW standard and the 150-kW standard will be able to use the same stations.

The stations will switch to a lower-power setting for current cars that are configured only to charge at 50 kW.

The higher power will allow cars with larger battery packs to charge in roughly the same amount of time as cars with smaller packs can on the current system—generally up to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes.

The move to 150-kW charging also positions CHAdeMO to compete better with other fast-charging standards.

Tesla's "Supercharger" network currently runs at 125 kW, and has been designed to run at up to 150 kW.

Audi and Porsche have also discussed 150-kW charging on the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) for their upcoming electric cars.

2016 Nissan Leaf

Audi will launch an all-electric SUV based on the e-Tron Quattro concept from the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show in 2018.

Porsche will launch a production version of the Mission E sedan—another 2015 Frankfurt concept—by the end of the decade.

CHAdeMO needs 150-kW stations to compete with the other standards, but it also has plans to potentially leapfrog them.

Officials plan to conduct studies for 350-kW charging, but will only commercialize it if there is sufficient perceived market demand.

A decision on 350-kW charging is expected to be made around 2018.

Volvo Pushing For Global EV Charging Standard

Volvo is one of the leaders among major manufacturers at getting plug-in cars into the hands of customers. Others are talking about making plug-ins available in a year or so, but Volvo has already done it with its XC90 T8. That car combines a supercharged and turbocharged gasoline engine with an electric motor to crank out over 400 horsepower.

Efficiency and performance in one package is proving to have a powerful allure for shoppers. Initially, Volvo believed only 5% of its customers would opt for the plug-in hybrid powertrain, but the model has been a runaway sales success. Today, 20% of all XC90 buyers are demanding the PHEV.

That has led Volvo to consider where EV sales will be in a few years. It thinks the lack of uniform charging standards is a potential road block to higher sales of electric vehicles. Imagine if each manufacturer of conventional cars made it so the filler pipe for the gas tank would only accept a nozzle with a certain shape? Ford owners would have to go to a Ford authorized gas station or carry a range of adapters around in the trunk. The whole idea is ludicrous.

Volvo is on to something here. We are talking about rising sea levels, desertification, and the possibility of making the planet unfit for human habitation. There isn’t time for arguing about the shape of a plug. This is a little more important than Betamax vs VHS or 8 track vs cassette.

Volvo R&D chief Peter Mertens says that to insure customers fully embrace the idea of electric cars, a simple, standardized, fast, and global charging infrastructure is needed. “We see that a shift towards fully electric cars is already underway, as battery technology improves, costs fall and charging infrastructure is put in place,” he says. “But while we are ready from a technology perspective, the charging infrastructure is not quite there yet. To really make range anxiety a thing of the past, a globally standardized charging system is sorely needed.”

Mertens is quite correct. In order to move toward that goal, Volvo has decided to throw its support behind the Charging Interface Initiative, a consortium of stakeholders that was founded to establish the Combined Charging System (CCS) as the standard for charging electric vehicles. According to Electric Cars Report, CSS offers both regular and fast-charging capabilities, That will make electric car ownership increasingly practical and convenient – especially in urban environments.

CSS combines single phase with rapid three phase charging. It is capable of charging at up to 43 kilowatts on AC power and up to 200 kilowatts on DC. In the future, it could support charging at rates up to 350 kilowatts. Its biggest advantage is that it can do all that in a single system. The Charging Interface Initiative is currently in the process of drawing up standards for use by car makers around the globe.

“We are very happy to support and be involved in the setting of standards for electric vehicle charging systems. The lack of such a standard is one of the main obstacles for growing electric vehicles’ share of the market,” said Dr Mertens.’

Standards are vital to commerce. They are what make it possible for an entire country to use one form of household electricity, for the trains in France be able to run on the tracks in Italy. and for airplanes to share one set of protocols that promote safety and efficiency in the air. Standards are not about ideology. They are about promoting commerce while keeping customers safe.

There are numerous charging standards in use around the world today. EV drives in Europe can encounter a half dozen of more in just a 500 mile journey. In the US, the main competitors are CSS and CHAdeMO. Of course, Tesla has its own proprietary system, which can interface with a CHAdeMO charger using an available adapter.

Many private charging networks are fully committed to one standard or the other. Some offer chargers that support both. But moving forward, the Volvo plan makes the most sense. Our charging network needs to be harmonized to promote the acceptance of electric motoring and avoid wasting money on competing charging standards. Go, Volvo!

California Will Spend $9 Million To Complete West Coast Electric Highway

The California Energy Commission has awarded nearly $9 million to 4 companies to complete the West Coast Electric Highway. The project is intended to make it possible to drive an electric car from Vancouver to the Baja peninsular. The new funding — $8,875,457, to be exact — will be used to create DC fast-charging stations along Interstate 5, State Route 99, and Highway 101, according to EV Obsession.

42% of the money will go to ChargePoint ($3,739,615). EV Connect will get 21% of the money ($1,843,179). NRG EV Services will get 19% ($1,659,928) and Recargo will get 18% ($1,632,735).  The request for proposals for the work went out last July and resulted in 35 proposals in all. The solicitation defined 7 primary areas for the work to be done and 2 secondary segments.

For the primary sectors of the West Coast Electric Highway, each charging location must have at least one CHAdeMO fast charger, one SAE CCS Fast Charger and one J1772-compliant Level 2 charger. Fast chargers are not required for secondary segments, but proposals that included them received priority in the bidding process.

Each ChargePoint location will include a 50 kW Express DC fast charging station equipped with both SAE Combo and CHAdeMO connectors as well as Level 2 charging stations, according to Charged EVs. ChargePoints’ part of the project will also include two showcase sites with scalable intelligent energy storage management systems and a solar generation system that can charge the stationary storage and/or export power to the grid.

“The West Coast Electric Highway is key to expanding access to infrastructure, especially in rural, disadvantaged communities, to drive EV adoption,” said Pasquale Romano, ChargePoint CEO. “This project will support EV drivers in their daily travel and give drivers range confidence for longer distance travel.”

Fast charging is vital for motorists traveling long distances away from home. Level 2 chargers can only add about 15 miles of range for every hour of charging, but a fast charger can usually restore a depleted battery to 80% of its capacity in a hour or less. Fast charging is considered a vital part of convincing mainstream drivers to consider driving an electric or plug-in hybrid car.

Projects like this are much easier to put in place on the west coast, which has only three states from north to south as opposed to the 13 states that line the eastern seaboard. Getting cooperation among all those political jurisdictions is like getting Chris Christie to lose weight — not impossible, but very, very difficult.

Tesla Supercharger Overtakes CHAdeMO

As of December 17, there are more Tesla Supercharger charging points in the US than CHAdeMO, saysInsideEVs. While Tesla has only 141 Supercharger locations, each one of them has up to 12 chargers for a total of 884 individual charging points. Each CHAdeMO charging station has only 1. Worldwide, the CHAdeMO network, which is used exclusively by Nissan for recharging its LEAF EVs, is still far ahead, but Tesla is working quickly to bring new Supercharger facilities on line in Asia and Europe.

At present, there are three competing charging systems for EVs – Tesla’s Superchargers, CHAdeMO and the system chosen by most to the world’s major manufacturers that uses the SAE standard. Over the coming years, one of those networks will become dominant.

But which one? Elon Musk has offered to make all the patents Tesla holds for its Supercharger technology available free of charge to any other company that agrees to use his system. So far, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen have all said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

 Tesla Supercharger System Map As Of December, 2014

Source: InsideEV's

BMW i3 Gets a Fast Charger of its Own

Until now, the fast-charging headlines have belonged to Tesla and that company’s nationwide network of Superchargers. With BMW getting into the electric car game, however, the German carmaker doesn’t want to leave Tesla any advantages – and will soon be offering a 24-kW DC fast charging unit that can restore a BMW i3′s battery to an 80% charge in under 30 minutes.

Built in conjunction with Bosch, the BMW i Center chargers will be offered $6,548. The system, which is smaller and lighter than other units on the market, could potentially be installed by small businesses and apartment buildings. Despite the relative affordability of the BMW/Bosch system, though, they anticipate that home installation by BMW i3 or i8 owners is still unlikely.

Initially, the BMW i Center charger installations will be limited to “Authorized BMW partners”, which probably means BMW dealers, Neiman Marcus, etc. will start to have the non-CHAdeMO chargers available in the fall.

Source | Images: BMW, via Motor Authority.

2015 Kia Soul EV Is A Safe Bet

The 2015 Kia Soul EV debuted at the Chicago Auto Show today, and besides the funky looks and Millennial appeal, the Soul EV is pretty standard fare. With between 80 and 100 miles of driving range, and acceleration on par with a Prius, the Soul EV is set up to neither impress nor disappoint.

The 81-kilowatt motor is good for 109 horsepower and 258 ft-lbs of torque, pushing the boxy Soul EV to a top speed of 90 MPH. Acceleration is quoted as “less than 12 seconds”, which could be the least-inspiring words ever uttered at a press conference. Power comes from a 27-Kwh air-cooled lithium polymer battery, which Kia claims has both the highest energy density and usable power of any comparable EVs.

While they may mean a few extra miles of driving range on the typical Sunday drive, the 2015 Kia Soul EV is about par for course as far as “affordable” electric cars go. Charging takes between 24 and 5 hours depending on your connection, and a 50 kWh CHAdeMo charger can deliver an 80% charge in just 30 minutes. Kia is working with Bosch, Aerovironment, and Leviton to provide home chargers to buyers. I’d also like to add that I enjoy the front-mounted charging port a great deal consider how most charging stations are set up.

The only place the Kia Soul EV can really differentiate itself is pricing, which will be announced closer to launch. Initial availability will also be limited to the EV-friendly California and Oregon, as well as a select metro areas on the eastern seaboard. It’s a cautious first step into the EV market for Kia, but at least they chose their funkiest carry to carry the zero emissions flag.

Source:  Gas 2.

Electric charger standardization remains question, hurdle in Europe's EV adoption

The electric vehicle charging-station standardization issue that's viewed as a major hurdle to mass EV adoption goes far beyond SAE vs. CHAdeMO, apparently. European nations are also divided about which standard the European Union should use in its effort to build out the infrastructure necessary to ease away-from-home charging of plug-in vehicles, Ward's Auto reports, citing auto industry analysts at a Brussels conference.

Specifically, most European auto makers and auto suppliers are standing behind the Type-2 charging system backed primarily by Germany just as the European Commission starts an impact assessment for charging infrastructure, according to Ward's. Meanwhile, France is backing the Type-3 system, as Type-2 lacks a so-called "shutter" cover that's supposed to help prevent electrocution.

The issue is a major one as automakers such as France-based Renault look to spur plug-in vehicle sales, which have been slower than expected. Meanwhile, the UK has about 1,000 charging stations, while France has about 1,300 and Germany and Spain each have almost 900.

As it is, automakers from Japan are promoting a different on-board charging standard than one backed by European and US automakers. Nissan, Toyota and Mitsubishi are supporting the CHAdeMO standard, which was launched in 2010 and is used in 1,500 stations worldwide. US and European automakers like BMW, General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen are standing behind the less-established SAE Combo standard, which is being promoted as simpler since it requires just one charging port for standard- and fast-charging connections.



Source: Autoblog Green

Nikkei: Japan government to broaden disclosure of CHAdeMo quick-charging standards

The Nikkei reports that the Japan government will broaden its disclosure of CHAdeMo quick-charging technology standards for electric vehicles, currently known by only a few automakers, to promote the spread of EVs and related industries.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry aims to accelerate the development of charging infrastructure, which is still not widespread. METI also hopes the effort will pave the way for lower EV prices by encouraging more competition.

Details of the CHAdeMo charging technology, developed by Nissan Motor Co. , Toyota Motor Corp. and others, will be made available at Thursday’s meeting of the Japanese industrial standards committee, an advisory panel to the industry minister. The standard is currently available to some automakers and power companies. Details to be disclosed about the technology include the shape of the plug that connects the car to the charger, and how to prevent electrocutions.