Ford, GM, Chrysler, Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen have agreed on a new standard connector for quick-charging electric vehicles. The standard was developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers International, and it will enable charging of up to 500 volts. This is an important development, as the US and German car makers will benefit from the standardisation - less development cost and a greater number of accessible charging stations are a few of the benefits that come to mind.
The Japanese still are following their own standard of charging, but ports for the standardised connector are available on Japanese EVs already, so it will not complicate things. The Japanese currently lead EV sales, with models like the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi iMiEV finding favour with electric car buyers.
The first of the EVs equipped with the standardised charging ports are expected to go into production in 2013. Wireless or inductive charging will make the standardisation obsolete, but this is still one step closer to making the electric car easier to live with.
