Electric cars to share fast-charge design

Mobile phone manufacturers may get away with making a different type of plug for every design of handset, but this would not be acceptable where electric cars are concerned.

With this in mind, Toyota and Nissan have set up a working group to establish an international standard for electric car fast-charging stations.

The group calls itself CHAdeMO and will first establish a standard for the Japanese market, before it is joined by up to 158 companies and government bodies to work on an international standard.

Japan has only 1,000 electric cars on its roads, but a network of 150 fast-charge stations.

15-minute recharging for electric cars

Using a 240v domestic electricity supply to completely replenish an electric car’s batteries can take up to eight hours, but fast-charge stations can dramatically reduce this time to as little as fifteen minutes for an 80 per cent charge.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “The lack of infrastructure to recharge electric vehicles, but particularly the absence of a network of fast-charge facilities, is a stumbling block for the development of electric vehicles. The current average range of 100 miles on a single charge is more than adequate for most journeys, but is a deal breaker for most drivers if an overnight charge is needed in order to extend it.”

Leading car makers including Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota and Mitsubishi and energy companies last year agreed to share a design of three-point, 400-volt plug, although there is as yet no timeframe for its introduction. The development of a common plug is seen as a small step towards the mass production of electric cars.