SAE International has approved a new technical standard that will dramatically reduce charging times for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles.
Developed in a consensus environment by more than 190 global experts representing automotive, charging equipment, utilities industries and national labs, “J1772: SAE Electric Vehicle and Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Couple” enable charging time to be reduced from as long as eight hours to as short as 20 minutes.
“This new technical standard is a real game-changer,” Andrew Smart, Director of Industry Relations and Business Development for SAE International, said. “It reflects the advancements in technology within PHEV and EV engineering and we are pleased to represent the collaborative efforts within industry that made it possible.”
The standard represents the future of charging technology and smart grid interaction, while addressing the needs of today. Such needs include reduced times at public charging stations, enabling consumers to travel greater distances in their PHEV’s and EV’s.
The original version of J1772 defined AC Level 1 and AC Level 2 charge levels and specified a conductive charge coupler and electrical interfaces for AC Level 1 and AC Level 2 charging. The new revision incorporates DC charging where DC Level 1 and DC Level 2 charge levels, charge coupler and electrical interfaces are defined. The standard was developed in cooperation with the European automotive experts who also adopted and endorsed a combo strategy in their approach.
Automakers want DC direct charging to take less than 10 minutes, or roughly the time it takes to fill a tank with gasoline. The goal is to accommodate currents as high as 500 volts distributed from public charging stations.
The standard approved by SAE has been backed by U.S. and German automakers.
A rival CHAdeMo system has been backed by Japanese automakers and has more than 1,500 charging stations in operation, most of them in Japan.
