8 automakers to demonstrate DC fast charging with Combined Charging System at EVS26
03 May 2012
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| Combined Charging System – Plug for DC-charging up to 100kW. Click to enlarge. |
Eight global automakers will participate in a charging display and will demonstrate a harmonized single-port DC-fast charging technology at the upcoming EVS26 event in Los Angeles. The system is intended to optimize customer ease of use and to accelerate more affordable deployment of electrified vehicles and fast charging infrastructure.
Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen have agreed to support the harmonized single-port fast charging approach—called DC-fast charging with a Combined Charging System—for use on electric vehicles in Europe and the United States. (Earlier post.)
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 will allow customers to charge at most existing charging stations regardless of power source and may speed more affordable adoption of a standardized infrastructure.
The Society of International Engineers has chosen the single-port fast charging method as its standard for fast charging and the European manufacturing association (ACEA) has endorsed harmonization for all vehicle types. Chargers will be available commercially as of the end of 2012 and vehicles using the technology will be available starting 2013.
The International Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has chosen the Combined Charging System as the fast-charging methodology for a standard that incrementally extends the existing Type 1-based AC-charging. The standard is to be officially 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 charging system design was based on the collaborative review and analysis of existing charging strategies, the ergonomics of the connector and preferences of US and European customers. The Combined Charging System was developed for all international vehicle markets and creates a uniform standard with identical electrical systems, charge controllers, package dimensions and safety mechanisms.
The system maximizes capability for integration with future smart grid developments through common broadband communication methods regardless of the global location of the charging system. The combined charging approach will reduce development and infrastructure complexity, improve charging reliability, reduce the total cost-of-ownership for end customers and provide low maintenance costs.
Commercially available combined charging stations are projected to be available later this year. All committed OEMs have vehicles in development which will use the Combined Charging System. First vehicles using this technology will be launched to the market in 2013.
This is a common sense approach. Re-configuration (on demand) the 100KWh main battery pack into four (4) 25 KWh packs for DC - DC quick charge could further reduce charging time. A multi (4 : 1) DC charger with matching multi cable/connector would be required but that would not be much of a challenge. Each wire/connector would be smaller to handle 1/4 the load.
Posted by: HarveyD | 03 May 2012 at 07:42 AM
Presumably utterly incompatible with Chademo, the standard used by Nissan and Mitsubishi, IOW 90% of the electric vehicles needing charging outside the home, as the Bolt can manage without.
Just what we need, another Betamax, to try to throw a spanner in the works of the sectror leaders.
Posted by: Davemart | 03 May 2012 at 08:11 AM
The only purpose of this monstrosity is to throw a spanner in the works of the sector leaders Nissan and Mitsubishi :)
Do any of those 8 participants even plan on offering a DC fast charge capable electric?
Posted by: Herm | 03 May 2012 at 08:20 AM
I can see the allure of a single plug, but by the time there is a SAE AC/DC equipped car from one of those manufactures there will probably be 30-40k CHAdeMO equipped Nissan LEAFs on the roads and hundreds of CHAdeMO quick charge stations.
Posted by: Dave R | 03 May 2012 at 08:29 AM
The older (existing) connectors and chargers are not suitable to quick charge very large battery packs. Well adapted DC - DC (or 3-phase high voltage) charging is required to quick charge very large packs.
This is one way of doing it. Many other improved designs will come out in the next five + years. It may be 2020 or so before international charging systems are designed an accepted for both slow domestic and very quick public charging stations.
Posted by: HarveyD | 03 May 2012 at 08:31 AM
Who will build the best electric cars, such as range, such as price and reliability, impose its standard even for the charging stations.
The customer chooses the best car, secondly considers the electrical outlet .
The losers will be required to accept the new standards.
In addition car with long range batteries will make less important the type of plug or the fact that there are a few public fast charging points
Posted by: joe.vanni | 03 May 2012 at 10:43 AM
STOP the fuss an put an hydrogen infrastructure right away.
Posted by: A D | 03 May 2012 at 11:12 AM
STOP the fuss an put an hydrogen infrastructure right away.
Yeah right, we get to that after they "harmonized" THEIR infrastructure.
Posted by: ai_vin | 03 May 2012 at 12:26 PM
No USB option?
If the 100 mile range can be increased to 150 it would allow you to travel 130ish miles, stop for a coffee and a quick charge, stop for lunch and a slightly longer charge and have covered 400 miles by the afternoon. Long distance EV travel is a bit of a red herring (multiple car ownership, most journeys below 100 miles etc) but it will increasingly become an option
Posted by: 3PeaceSweet | 03 May 2012 at 12:30 PM
3PS..Tesla S model will provide more range than you mentioned. A single mid-day quick charge will be enough to cover 500+ miles per day.
By 2020 or even a few years before, similar performance/range will be common place.
Posted by: HarveyD | 03 May 2012 at 03:08 PM
If quick charging relies upon power directly from the grid, it puts a very large temporary peak load on the grid which is very expensive and disruptive to other grid users. A vehicle charging station is most cheaply built and operated by using a large natural gas or diesel powered engine for producing the power when it is needed. Large micro turbines such as the Capstone 200 kW unit are also a more expensive option. Such units can also supply emergency power to the fuel station when the grid fails and also cogenerating home generators can be used for fast charging at home. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 03 May 2012 at 08:06 PM
You dont need a capstone.. many engines can be modified to run on methane and produce 50kw of output, probably at better efficiency.
Posted by: Herm | 03 May 2012 at 08:18 PM
The main problem and the same one I pointed out years ago is that soon enough higher cap bevs will force higher power connectors.
I expect before too long we will see 1-2 mw chargers to fast charge bev suvs.
Posted by: wintermane2000 | 04 May 2012 at 01:37 AM
Joe: well thought out - but logic is often absent in the course of events.
Henry: there have been articles about using (old) battery packs for grid regularization - they could be usefully located at charging stations. Don't know how the costs would compare to a natural gas genset.
Posted by: DavidJ | 04 May 2012 at 04:27 AM
Harvey - the Tesla S approach is too expensive for wide market adoption. Right now the Leaf will work fine for daily commuting for most people, but it is too limiting for the 'couple times a year' that people want to drive 300-400 miles.
Getting range up to 150 -> 175 miles along with an adequate number of rapid chargers will open up the market considerably. Few people drive more than 300 miles in a day with any great frequency.
For most people owning and hauling the extra capacity of the Tesla S wouldn't make sense. Perhaps ten, fifteen years from now we will have something like air-zinc batteries that store tremendous amounts of power, but we need shorter term solutions in order to get us off fossil fuels.
Get range up ~50% and price down to no more than a $5k premium over a comparable gasmobile and the market will start a rapid transformation.
Posted by: Bob Wallace | 04 May 2012 at 07:21 AM
Henry - when we have many EVs on the road plugging in a single EV to a fast charger will not put a noticeable/disruptive load on the grid. EVs will be going on- and off-line in a random fashion which will smooth the overall load. A smart grid with storage capacity can make the load quite constant.
There most likely will be additional peak demand as most people will travel during the day and "lunch time" will be particularly demanding. We'll have to build new supply with those particulars in mind. Lots of solar, lots of offshore wind, and an adequate amount of storage.
Let's not use fossil fuels to get off fossil fuels.
Posted by: Bob Wallace | 04 May 2012 at 07:26 AM
BW...the Tesla S will be available with 3 different side of battery pack to suit users need. Of course, batteries will be much lighter and cheaper by 2020+. Eventually, 300+ mile battery packs will not weight more (and even less) than current ICE + associated support parts/components and 15 gallons of fuel.
Plug-in battery modules could be an interim solution.
Posted by: HarveyD | 04 May 2012 at 07:46 AM
Bob - just purely considering from the mathematics point of view. Statistically, EVs may not charge at the same time, but as you mentioned, during time, people may more likely to charge roughly at the same time.
[Or just look at Costco gas stations...]
Anyway, if we have 100kw charging circuitry. And in a local community, all of a sudden, we have 10 cars charging at the same time. Then we need 1MW for a finite period of time.
It may not happen now, but as more EVs are sold, the power surge will be an issue.
More EVs + charging stations will appear to be even out the load, but statistically, the extremal case power load will be also larger. (unless the utilities can remotely control those charging stations power loads)
Posted by: Carson Pun | 04 May 2012 at 07:47 AM
At the moment Level 1 & 2 home/work charging represents 90% of EV charging stats. The race to install Quick charge technology does not match the current EV inventory. But looking ahead, it is likely the Tesla S with pack options and high profile will be the biggest challenge to Nissan's CHAdeMO.
Tesla announced their 90kW DC Quick charge would use a proprietary connector - that MAY utilize an adapter for CHAdeMO and presumably this CCS Quick charge option. There seems little reason for commercial Quick charge stations not to build multiple connectors into their ports. Fuel pumps offer 3-4 different types of gas.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 04 May 2012 at 10:09 AM
Carson - remember that we're talking about the EVs that are going for a long drive that will be using rapid chargers. Most, almost all, regular charging will be happening at night when EVs are parked for extended times.
I suspect utilities will have control over nighttime charging. The average car drives about 33 miles a day. The Ford Focus EV can replace that 33 miles in less than two hours from a 240 volt outlet. That means a lot of flexibility for the utility company to spread the number of cars charging or move lots of them off or on line as supplies might change with the wind.
Daytime, rapid charging might have to be controlled as well. It could be that people would end up making 'appointments' for charging on popular routes, especially during heavy travel days. It might be that some people would be scheduled in creative ways to spread the load.
It could be that if you were to leave early in the morning on your trip so that you were stopping for your "150 miles" by 7:30am you'd get a very favorable rate as opposed to charging in the middle of the day.
Momentary surges should not be an issue. The exact second at which the charge starts or stops is easily controlled. Chargers could even be "rolled" on and off if needed. Adding some battery/ultracapacitor storage close to a bank of rapid chargers would be another way to deal with sudden ons and offs.
I suspect the big challenge for EVs is going to be major holiday weekends. Perhaps we'll change our travel habits and move to public transportation, spurred by the premium cost of a rapid charge on "the day before Christmas".
(After experiencing Europe's high speed rail, I'd be willing to leave my car behind.)
Posted by: Bob Wallace | 05 May 2012 at 11:29 PM
One (hopefully) or 2 types will likely come to pass.
How "Fast Chargers on the highways" will evolve seems to be a puzzle, but - Que sera sera.
Keep in mind that highway capable EVs (w/o range extenders) may want a FULL charge - and that means lotsa KW.
Will this "demand" support quick change battery packs? Who knows?
Some tough unknowns - but PLEEZE, no BS studies to see into the hazy future of public psychology.
- Highway capable EVs are a bit of an oxymoron today anyway.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 06 May 2012 at 10:07 AM
http://green.autoblog.com/2012/02/14/stanford-envisions-all-electric-highway-that-charges-evs-as-th/
Posted by: ai_vin | 06 May 2012 at 02:50 PM
I sure they are just around the corner.
The visions, that is.
With EVs and Hybrids together at 3% SALES penetration an electrified roadway is probably too irrational for even this "cost-is-no-object" administration.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 07 May 2012 at 08:41 PM
...he says of the administration that is actually cutting government spending, unlike the last administration.
Posted by: ai_vin | 08 May 2012 at 07:43 AM
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-ed-show/46740872#46740872
Posted by: ai_vin | 08 May 2012 at 08:05 AM