Implementing a proper road trip with an electric car “simply” requires ultra-fast charging above the 100 kiloWatts charging rate. Tesla Motors Supercharger system has proved this , with the 120 kiloWatt charging rate giving Model S owners a 1 hour (or less) recharge time for up to 265 miles of range. While that’s not quite as…
The debate over electric car fast charging systems has been going on for years, and the only sign of a settlement is that some of the automakers are investing in dual-protocol fast charging infrastructure. While it’s a great interim solution, as a practical matter the existing dual-protocol DCFC stations can…
Last week, a partnership announcement between BMW, VW and ChargePoint looked to me that it was slanted towards the ComboCharging System. In other words, it looked like a continuing salvo in the DC Fast Charging market-share war between the Japanese automakers (Nissan et al) and the German/US automakers. Today, after…
Why should Tesla Model S owners be the only EV owners capable of taking long distant trips? What’s needed is fast charging infrastructure located along highways between major cities supporting cars other than Tesla’s. Existing DCFC infrastructure for the rest of us is only been located inside cities, and not…
BMW today joined the ranks of automakers demonstrating seriosity about electric vehicles. The way I measure this is if the company is not just building an electric car in significant quantity, but is working to support build-out of electric car charging infrastructure. We have a “chicken and egg” situation between…
Tesla Motors appears to be in serious talks with at least two other automakers about electric car fast charging plans. Th talks bring together the three automakers with the most credible electric car development: BMW, Nissan and Tesla. The content of their discussions are hush-hush, but we know it’s related…
A single fast charging standard is best for electric vehicle owners – just like a single gasoline fuel hose has been best for gasoline vehicle owners. The gasoline industry could have evolved such that each car maker mandated a unique gasoline blend, that’s sold only through manufacturer owned gasoline stations,…
Last week Elon Musk laid a bombshell during the Tesla Motors shareholders meeting, one that I barely mentioned in my report. I kind of brushed over it, writing a couple paragraphs about whether Tesla Motors should rebrand itself as a B Corporation because the company is seeking to create so…
Some good news for CHAdeMO in Europe is that the European Union has adopted a draft proposal supporting the “Dual Standard Approach”. While the Directive requires that all DC Fast Charging infrastructure support the Combo Charging System, through the EN62196-2 plug, it allows such charging stations to also support CHAdeMO. …
It would be wonderful if there were one fast charging standard for electric cars. We’ve collectively gone through periods with dueling standards, and it was painful. But, the current environment has several fast charging standards (CHAdeMO, China, Combined Charging System, and Tesla) each of which are vying for dominance. Recently…
The nice thing about Standards Organizations is that there’s so many of them. If your standard gets rejected by one organization, such as the Society for Automotive Engineers, you can go to another standards committee, like the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), to get ratification. That’s what has just happened in…
In California, eVgo is beginning to build their charging infrastructure (finally – aren’t they a little behind schedule?) and the good news for BMW i3 and Chevy Spark EV owners is the infrastructure being built supports both CHAdeMO and Combo Charging System fast charging. But the situation just picks at…
A significant demonstration of electric vehicles at a charging station interacting with smart grid protocols was just made, showing significant vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. First – it’s talking about a new DC fast charging station that uses the SAE Combo Charging system a.k.a. SAE DC Fast charge. This is the newer…
A somewhat surprising is that fast charging (for electric cars) can reduce the cost of electric cars. Because electric car cost is a major factor delaying electric car adoption, if fast charging support would allow a cheaper electric car then it’s important to get fast charging infrastructure out there as…
It’s thought that DC Fast Chargers deployment is a crucial element to widespread electric car adoption. For example, the Japanese deployed a widespread CHAdeMO network in 2008 and immediately saw electric car utilization rates go up. My feeling is that fast charging is the way to implement the normal behavior…
