April 19, 2009

Car Companies Standardize Plug for Electric Vehicles

Posted in:

Posted in Electric Cars (EVs), Plug-in hybrid EVs

Just a few hours after General Motors called for a standardized EV plug, one has been created!

Caroline Reichert, a spokeswoman for the Germany energy company RWE, said leading automotive and energy companies have reached an agreement for a standardized plug for electric cars. Some of the automakers include in that agreement are Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota and Mitsubishi.

» See also: Is the Renault-Nissan Alliance Going in Two Different Electric Car Directions?
» Get Gas 2.0 by RSS or sign up by email.

“A car must be able to be recharged in Italy in exactly the same way as in Denmark, Germany or France,” she was quoted saying in an edition of Die Welt to appear Monday.

The three-point, 400-volt plug, which will allow electric cars to be recharged anywhere in a matter of minutes, will be unveiled Monday at the world’s biggest industrial technology fair in Hanover, northern Germany.

No time frame for the introduction of the plug was mentioned, saying that talks between the companies were ongoing.

If electric vehicles are going to stand a chance against petro-based cars, standards are a must. This is a major step froward in EV mass production.

Update: The plug depicted above is not the agreed upon standard. At the time of the press release, I could not find a definitive picture. Sorry for any confusion.