Major automakers agree to fast charging technology standard

If there is one drawback about an electric vehicle, it would be the need to recharge it at the end of a long day (particularly when the battery levels are dangerously low), and the charging time is no walk in the park, either. Good to know then, that major automakers such as Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche and Volkswagen have agreed to a common format for their EV charging ports. Unfortunately, with so many cooks in the proverbial kitchen, it is expected that a cool sounding name cannot be agreed on, hence we are left with the “DC Fast Charging with a Combined Charging System”.

This is said to be a consistent method to power up any car which employs a similar standard from 15 to 20 minutes, without having to break a current Type 1 AC charging implementation. This new format will be demonstrated later this month at the Electric Vehicle Symposium 26 in Los Angeles, so those who purchased the first-generation Ford Focus Electric will just have to sit down and weep, as it will not be compatible with it.