The European automotive industry has agreed on a common system for charging plug-in vehicle throughout Europe.
The ACEA, Europe’s automobile manufacturers’ trade association, aims to standardize one type of connector for all plug-ins sold in Europe. ACEA’s secretary general, Ivan Hodac, stated:
This paves the way for a harmonized solution around the globe. We call on the European Commission, the standardization bodies and the infrastructure providers to adopt these recommendations and to clear remaining issues as soon as possible
The association is pushing regulators and rivals across the globe to adopt the same standard, a move which the ACEA says will end “fragmentation.” The main agreement announced by ACEA relates to a standardized plug, but the association also released a series of detailed recommendations pertaining to the entire link between the charging infrastructure and a vehicle’s electrical inlet, including amperage, communication with the grid and more. The ACEA looks to implement these standards throughout Europe, and possibly across the globe, by 2017.
Brussels, 22/09/2011 – The European automobile manufacturers have defined a comprehensive set of recommendations to standardise the charging of electrically-chargeable vehicles. The joint industry proposal will enable the use of one type of plug independent of car make, electricity provider or country.
“This is a major step towards the broader introduction of electrically-chargeable vehicles in Europe and paves the way for a harmonised solution around the globe”, said Ivan Hodac, Secretary General of ACEA, the automobile manufacturers’ trade association. “We call on the European Commission, the standardisation bodies and the infrastructure providers to adopt these recommendations and to clear remaining issues as soon as possible.”
Standardisation of the connection between the electricity grid and electrically-chargeable vehicles is one of the prerequisites to help e-mobility gain a viable market share. At present, a variety of solutions is used, leading to a fragmentation of the market across Europe and abroad.
The industry recommendations cover the whole link between the public charging infrastructure and the vehicle inlet including the communication between the two, and they address both slow and fast charging with direct or alternate current. As soon as approved by the relevant standardisation bodies, vehicle manufacturers will start integrating the uniform application in their production cycles. The auto industry advocates the full implementation for new vehicles types from 2017.
A unique standard for vehicle charging will benefit all parties involved: the auto industry, the consumer and the infrastructure provider. “Standardisation provides predictability to investors; it enables economy of scale and reduces costs. We have also ensured a solution that meets the highest safety standards and is easy to use”, said Hodac.
Most stakeholders assume a realistic market share for electrically-chargeable vehicles in the range of 3 to 10% of new sales by 2020 to 2025, depending on how quickly the most immediate challenges can be addressed.
About ACEA
The European automotive industry is key to the strength and competitiveness of Europe. The ACEA members are BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler, FIAT S.p.A., Ford of Europe, General Motors Europe, Jaguar Land Rover, MAN Truck & Bus, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault Group, Scania, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group. They provide direct employment to more than 2.3 million people and indirectly support another 10 million jobs. Annually, ACEA members invest over €26 billion in R&D, or 5% of turnover.
