Eight big car makers have introduced a
standardized port for fast charging electric vehicles that will be
made commercially available at the end of this year for vehicles
hitting the road in 2013, it was announced.
Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and
Volkswagen have agreed to support a harmonized single-port fast
charging approach -- called DC-fast charging with a Combined Charging
System -- for use on electric vehicles in Europe and the United
States. It enables the recharging of electric vehicles in as little
as 15-20 minutes.
The combined charging system integrates one-phase AC-charging,
fast three-phase AC-charging, DC-charging at home and ultra-fast
DC-charging at public stations into one vehicle inlet. This will
allow customers to charge at most existing charging stations
regardless of power source, and may speed up the more affordable
adoption of a standardized infrastructure, according to an
announcement.
