Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen have agreed to standardize a single-port rapid DC charging approach, with a Combined Charging System, (Combi) for use on electric vehicles in Europe and the United States – bypassing the CHAdeMO charging standard already used by Japanese cars including the Nissan Leaf.
The combined charging system agreed by the European and American automakers integrates one-phase AC-charging, fast three-phase AC-charging, DC-charging at home and rapid DC-charging at public stations, all in one vehicle inlet. The automakers says this will allow customers to charge at most existing charging stations regardless of power source and may speed more affordable adoption of a standardised infrastructure. The first vehicles using this technology will be launched to the market in 2013, the companies say.
The International Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) chose the Combined Charging System as its rapid-charging method; the standard will be published this summer. ACEA, the European association of vehicle manufacturers, has also selected the Combined Charging System as its AC/DC-charging interface for all new vehicle types in Europe beginning in 2017.
The eight automakers say the plug will standardise charging across the US and Europe, reducing development and infrastructure complexity and cost-of-ownership for customers. However, GreenCarReports.com writes the plug is incompatible with current Japanese models that use the CHAdeMO charging system. In March 2010, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Fuji Heavy Industries and Tokyo Electric Power all agreed to CHAdeMO as the standard for electric vehicle recharging stations.
