New
Scientist: Seven leading car manufacturers have agreed on
an international standardized charging system for electric
vehicles in Europe and the US. It will allow all electric
vehicles manufactured by Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General
Motors, Porsche, and Volkswagen to share the same charging
stations. The standardization is expected to simplify the
building of an electric charging infrastructure and reduce
manufacturing costs. In addition, drivers won’t have to
deal with multiple charging adaptors like the ones cellphone
users have had to deal with for years. And existing electric
cars will also be able to charge at the new stations. The seven
manufacturers have agreed to use a universal protocol, HomePlug
Green Phy, which will allow electric vehicles to integrate with
smart grids in the future.
