The ACEA, the automobile manufacturers' trade association, wants one type of plug to become standard for all electric cars.
"This... paves the way for a harmonised solution around the globe", said ACEA's secretary general, Ivan Hodac.
The association wants regulators, infrastructure bodies and rivals across the world to adopt the same standard.
"We call on the European Commission, the standardisation bodies and the infrastructure providers to adopt these recommendations and to clear remaining issues as soon as possible," Mr Hodac said. This has resulted in the "fragmentation of the market across Europe and abroad", according to Mr Hodac. Currently, several types of charging methods are used.
The main agreement announced by ACEA relates to a standardised plug. But the industry has also come up with a series of detailed recommendations covering the whole link between the public charging infrastructure and the car's electricity inlet.
The recommendations suggest how the car should communicate with the grid, and how the power companies should charge for the electricity used.
The proposal is broad, addressing both slow and fast charging systems with either direct or alternate current. Agreeing pan-European standards and implementing them by 2017 would be "a major step towards the broader introduction of electrically-chargeable vehicles in Europe", he said. "We have also ensured a solution that meets the highest safety standards and is easy to use."
Standardisation provides predictability to investors; it reduces build complexity for manufacturers, enables economy of scale and reduces costs, accelerate the installation of common systems internationally and most importantly, improve the ownership experience for EV drivers.
It also gives buyers a whole lot more confidence that the industry is maturing.
Update 13/10/11: Seven automakers have now agreed to use a common single-port DC fast-charging system for electric cars in Europe and the US. Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen will use identical charge plugs and the same system for communication between the charger and the car in their electric vehicles. The standardised charging ports and recharge stations will be backward compatible with the J1772 port now used for Level 1 and Level 2 chargers in the United States, and in Europe where the system is based on the IEC 62196 Type 2.
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