SAE Unveils Combined Charger System
Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen strongly support a "harmonized single-port DC-fast charging technology" and will be present at the unveiling of the Combined Charging System at the EVS26 event currently running in Los Angeles, California.
The system is "intended to optimize customer ease of use and to accelerate more affordable deployment of electrified vehicles," according to Volkswagen. It's believed that the Combined Charging System will be used on electric vehicles in Europe and the US starting in 2013. Only the eight automakers listed above have agreed to adopt the use of the Combined Charging System.
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 setup will "allow customers to charge at most existing charging stations regardless of power source and may speed more affordable adoption of a standardized infrastructure," according to VW.
The International Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has chosen the Combined Charging System as its standard and will publish official guidelines this summer. Aside from the SAE, the ACEA—the European association of vehicle manufacturers—has announced that it selected the Combined Charging System as its AC/DC-charging interface for all plug-in vehicles sold in Europe beginning in 2017.
Charging stations compatible with the Combined Charging System will become available in late 2012. Compatible vehicles will launch in 2013.
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