It would suck if every future EV would have its own charging dingus or not charge at all.
Nothing is conclusive just yet, but it’s a pretty reasonable assumption that the future of motoring, at least for the masses, will be in one way or the other, electrified. The steady transition is happening even as we speak, and soon we’ll all be having to be behind the wheel of our fuel-less vehicles, driving it or letting it drive us.
Volvo, while it hasn’t exactly produced a full electric car to rival the likes of Tesla, say, it is heavily investing in alternative propulsion and has fitted its newest flagship saloon (S90) and SUV (XC90) with plug-in hybrid technology. They’re halfway there.
If you're an early adopter and want to charge your electric car, its pretty much a minefield of scarce, confusing, and proprietary ways and devices to charge your car with. Imagine a hundred years ago if you’d only be able to refuel your car at a gas station operated by whatever manufacturer your car is from. Sucks, right?
Volvo, specifically their SVP of R&D Dr Peter Mertens, doesn’t want that reality to take hold, and is asking the global automotive industry to introduce standardised charging standards infrastructure. To that end, it has thrown its support for the Charging Interface Initiative and will do its best to evangelise (sort of) its goal of a uniform world-spanning EV charging network.
The initiative comprises of a consortium of stakeholders that was founded to establish their Combined Charging System (CCS) as the standard for charging battery-powered vehicles.
Volvo is thinking ahead, reasoning that it would be a hot mess if the automotive landscape was so fragmented with charging technologies that deliberately lock out use by cars of different make. The victims of that future would be drivers like you and me. The Swedish marque has plans to introduce its first fully electric vehicle by 2019.
According to Mertens, “We see that a shift towards fully electric cars is already underway, as battery technology improves, costs fall and charging infrastructure is put in place,” said Dr. Mertens. “But while we are ready from a technology perspective, the charging infrastructure is not quite there yet. To really make range anxiety a thing of the past, a globally standardised charging system is sorely needed.”
The technology being pushed by the consortium, the Combined Charging System, aside from offering universal charging compatility, will offer regular as well as fast charging capabilities through combination of single or rapid three-phase chaging with a current AC maximum of 43kW all the way to up 200kW with direct-charging.
What all that basically means is that it will have wide support for large batteries that require lots of charge quickly or smaller ones that may need less at a steadier rate. Translation: Good.
