I asked the same question about why it took so long, Rob. Their answer is a logical one. Getting a consensus of 190 technical specialists is difficult. That reason apparently didn't stop the ChaDeMo standard, however.
Most homes have single-phase AC, Beth, which won't cut it for fast charging. Fast charging requires three-phase AC (and the associated higher voltages and currents), which is typically used in industrial applications today. In contrast, today's home-charging systems usually use single-phase AC at 120V and 15A (about 16 hours or less) or single-phase AC at 240V and 15A (about 8 hours or less). SAE's new standard calls for up to 200A and up to 500V. Making those modifications to a home would be very expensive.
Beth, my guess is right about the voltage in the home. I think the important part of this development is that it could free the EV to travel beyond short trips from the home. Waiting 10 or 20 minutes at a public charging station is not that inconvenient.
Beth, I think that the issue with using this standard for home use is the current draw. Typical service to a home is 200A. This would use as much. I guess if you were willing to turn off everything in your home then you could use it. It is not only what is in your home that matters, but the infrastructure serving it. This would require a big upgrade in that. Commercial locations will have new infrastructure, thus will be able to deal with the current draw.
Unfortunately, SAE took so long to release the standard that the West Coast charger network had to opt for the existing Japanese ChaDeMo DCFC standard, already supported by the Nissan Leaf.
And, of course, China, Renault and Tesla have come up with their own standards as well.
And have you SEEN ChaDeMo and J1772-DC connectors? They're huge!
Unless there's an easy migration route from ChaDeMo to J1772-DC or some pressure to migrate to one of the smaller proprietary connections, we're in for a whole new VHS-Beta-Videodisc-style format war.
Definitely an important development and I, too, wonder what took so long. But then again, everything seems to take long in this segment of the market.
Also confusing to me is why does this have impact on commercial and public charging stations, but not for home use? Is it something to do with the voltage and residential infrastructure. Seems to me they'd want to address that.
Nice story, Chuck. It's amazing that the change in a standard would have that big an effect on charging hybrids and EVs. Makes you wonder why it took so long, especially on a feature that has such impact on hybrid and EV owners. This standard means you could actually take a trip with an EV.
Using almost 200 light-emitting diodes in the front and back of the new 2014 CTS, Cadillac designers are showing how LEDs can change the character of a vehicle.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
2 
