Quote:
Originally Posted by joeb
I've always wondered about plugs on EVs, do all the different models use the same plug size/shape so you can use chargers in different places? Or does a Porsche plug look different than a Tesla or Nissan?
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As has happened with other new tech in the past, none of the interested parties sat down and agreed on a common standard, so there are different plugs on chargers for different makes.....
If you’re charging at a slow or fast (3.5 to 22kwh) charger that requires you to use your own cable, there is a common standard on the charger. If you want to use a rapid (50kwh) post that has a dedicated cable, then there are two types. One (chademo) charges Leafs, the other (CCS) most other makes. The latter is now becoming the accepted standard.
Tesla have a unique plug/socket combo for their cars and charge points. It is very rapid, old Superchargers were 120kwh but the latest V3 is 250kwh, which is way higher than anything else currently in use. The new Model 3 has a second socket (CCS) so it can be charged at other locations easier, but other models can only be charged elsewhere by using an adaptor.
One of the Charger infrastructure problems that is holding things back is that Ecotricity, the pioneer in motorway installations, managed to get an exclusivity agreement with service area operators. So if, for example, BP Chargemaster want to put a charging station on a motorway, it will be off site, like the new one at Milton Keynes. Tesla took EcoT to court over the arrangement but lost. They did however, get some Superchargers in service areas by paying a lot of money.... This would be no problem if EcoT were putting more investment in, but after the initial money (Nissan and grants) ran out they have spent nothing. Their chargers are becoming unreliable and the tech is falling behind. It needs someone to buy them out!