The purpose of the standard is to define a common electric-vehicle charging network, thereby reducing costs and increasing convenience for owners of electric vehicles. Gery Kissel of GM, Chair of the SAE Hybrid Task Force, said that consistency and reliability are key goals of the new standard. (Earlier post.)

By standardizing, you’re reducing costs and allowing everyone to use the same connector. All of the charging equipment you would pull up to in public would have identical connectors, so any vehicle could use one. It will be a consistent, reliable interface.

—Gery Kissel

In the process of SAE J1772 development, a production tooled coupler has passed testing by Underwriters Laboratories for safety and durability. SAE J1772 standard was developed by the SAE Hybrid J1772 Task Force in cooperation with major automotive OEMs and suppliers, charging equipment manufacturers, national labs, utility companies, universities and standards organizations from North America, Europe and Asia. The document is published and can be purchased at http://www.sae.org/technical/standards/J1772_201001.