Combined Charging Standard (CCS)
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UPDATE: As of Tuesday morning Electrify America said that it is "restoring full capacity to its entire network" after the potentially affected charging cables cleared extensive testing, and it called the original incident spurring the shutdown "an isolated event" at a private facility with a prototype cable. Thus, we updated the story title to reflect that they "were down" rather than "are down." Electric car owners who are planning to use the DC fast chargers that are part of the Electrify America network may want to allow a little extra time in their plans over the coming days and weeks...
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What electric-car charging will satisfy a mass market? Twitter poll results
One of the obvious challenges of even the latest electric cars is that you can't drive them coast-to-coast as quickly as you can gasoline cars. It's far from impossible to do such a trip—especially if you own a Tesla and can use the company's DC fast-charging Supercharger network—but it...
John Voelcker -
South Korea to standardize on CCS fast-charging standard used by US, German makers
Buyers of electric vehicles in South Korea won't need to consider the pros and cons of charging standards in the near future. The South Korean Agency for Technology and Standards announced in mid-December it would revise the current charging standard in the country to recommend the use of "Combo...
Mark Stevenson -
ABB electric-car charging station bills automatically: no cards or RFID tags
Activating any given public charging station to recharge an electric car can pose something of a hassle. Yes, plugging it in is simple enough, but public charging infrastructure in the U.S. is run by multiple independent companies—meaning electric-car owners are essentially required to carry...
Sean Szymkowski -
Porsche prototype 350-kw electric car fast-charging station installed
Porsche has big plans to expand the capability of the Combined Charging System (CCS) DC standard into much higher voltages to allow much faster electric-car charging. Now, it's completed a first step: at the brand's new branch office in Berlin-Adlershof, Porsche has installed a prototype...
Sean Szymkowski -
Chargeway: the best electric-car idea you've never heard of
Pretty much everyone knows how to put fuel into a conventional car. You pull up to the pump, open the vehicle's fuel door, put a credit card into the pump, select diesel or one of three grades of gasoline, lift the hose, and pump. (In New Jersey and Oregon, someone else does this for you.)...
John Voelcker -
Drivers who want to use their electric cars for trips beyond a radius from their home charging site rely on DC fast-charging sites. Now Charged magazine has written a comprehensive guide to the current state and future of DC charging. Today, most publicly available chargers using the CHAdeMO and CCS standards have an output of 50 kilowatts or less; Tesla's Superchargers run at up to 135 kw. CHECK OUT: How To Wire A New Garage For Electric-Car Charging: What You Need To Know That's due, in part, to the fact that until December, no other electric vehicles on sale could handle a faster DC...
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Electric car charging: the basics you need to know (updated)
The number of plug-in electric cars on North American roads grows every year, and with them come new buyers. Each new electric-car driver will have a few things to learn, so we've rounded up some tips on how, where, and when how to charge up that new plug-in vehicle. Whether you're already an...
John Voelcker -
More details on fast-charging rate in 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric car
For a few years now, Tesla has shown what a nationwide network of DC fast-charging sites for long-range electric cars should look like. Its Supercharger network now covers virtually all of the lower 48 states, and until earlier this year, it was completely free to Tesla drivers. The Chevrolet Bolt...
John Voelcker -
Fast-charging a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is the first mass-priced electric car with more than 200 miles of range to go on sale in the U.S. That alone makes it a landmark vehicle, and has led to significant interest in the first electric car that provides comparable range to that of Tesla cars over the last nine...
John Voelcker -
Chevy Bolt EV, Hyundai Ioniq show slow, confusing state of 'fast' charging today
When you drive into a U.S. gas station to pump gas, every pump works exactly the same way. The only choice to make is which grade of gasoline you want. If you want diesel fuel, of course, you may have to find one of the six out of 10 stations that offer it. DC fast charging for electric cars isn't...
John Voelcker -
Chevy Bolt EV: 800-mile trip in 238-mile electric car shows challenges remain
With about twice the range of any non-Tesla electric car, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has generated a great deal of excitement and won numerous awards over the last year. In combination with a nascent DC fast-charging infrastructure, it offers the possibility of much longer road trips powered solely...
John Voelcker -
It's an interesting moment to contemplate the future of DC fast charging for electric cars right now. Electric cars with 200 miles or more of range are starting to hit the market, with half a dozen expected to be in showrooms three years hence. And international standards groups are working to boost fast-charging rates from the 50-kilowatt level found today to as much as 150 or even 300 kw. DON'T MISS: Battle over VW's $2 billion fund for electric-car charging: sorting out the questions While Tesla Motors has laid out the model for a national network of fast-charging sites along highways in...
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BMW, Ford, Mercedes, VW Group to build electric-car fast-charging network in Europe
With a slew of 200-mile electric cars planned for 2018 and later, the question of how their drivers will be able to make long-distance trips is coming to the fore in a big way. Silicon Valley electric-car maker Tesla Motors laid out the template with its Supercharger network, which now numbers 327...
John Voelcker -
Porsche's 800-Volt fast charging for electric cars: why it matters
The future of electric cars for practical transportation relies to some degree on the future of DC fast charging, and how it develops over the next decade. As in other spheres of electrifying transport, Tesla Motors has pointed the way to one vision of the future with its expanding network of...
John Voelcker -
DC fast-charging in east, west coast corridors done, say VW, BMW
BMW and Volkswagen recently completed their East Coast and West Coast DC fast-charging corridors.
Stephen Edelstein -
World's largest fast-charging site opens in Norway: 28 electric cars can charge, all standards included
A new DC fast-charging site in Norway can accommodate 28 cars, regardless of charging standards.
Stephen Edelstein -
When will electric-car DC fast-charging be available everywhere in the U.S.? Poll results
Energy infrastructure is key to any serious effort to make zero-emission vehicles practical for mass-market car buyers. The world has spent more than a century building an efficient, global distribution and delivery system for gasoline and diesel fuel, and any new energy source requires the same...
John Voelcker -
The Volkswagen diesel emission scandal erupted last September, when the EPA formally issued a Notice of Violation to one of the world's three largest automakers for willfully violating U.S. emission laws for seven years. Since then, much speculation has appeared over what forms of punishment VW would face and how much it would have to pay. We now have a number, and it’s even higher than many expected. DON'T MISS: VW diesel settlement details: buybacks, payments, modifications, fines, more The Volkswagen Group has agreed to pay up to $14.7 billion for intentionally deceiving the public...
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Volvo throws its weight behind CCS quick-charging standard for electric cars
Every electric car sold in the U.S. except Tesla uses the same 240-Volt charging socket for overnight or public charging that takes a few hours. But three different and incompatible standards exist for DC fast charging, making the installation of pricier high-powered charging stations more...
John Voelcker -
2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, Electric: more notes from Geneva Motor Show
The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq lineup was largely downplayed by European media that focused more on local makers, along with the supercars and high-end luxury vehicles debuts, at this week's Geneva Motor Show. Korean maker Hyundai was the 19th press event of the morning, almost three hours after media days...
John Voelcker -
VW CEO Müller: Automotive Future Must Not Be Left To Silicon Valley
Like many automakers, Volkswagen Group has had a research facility in Silicon Valley for many years. In 2011, Its Electronics Research Laboratory--first launched in 1998--tripled its size and moved northward from Palo Alto to Belmont. It now has almost 100 people. But new VW Group CEO Matthias...
John Voelcker -
GM Won't Fund CCS Fast-Charging Sites For 2017 Chevy Bolt EV
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has received largely positive reviews for the production version unveiled last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. And as the first affordable 200-mile electric car, expected to go on sale before the end of this year, it will likely reset consumer...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen Microbus EV To Use 800V CCS Charging From Porsche?
Volkswagen has already received a lot of attention for the driving range claimed for its Budd-e all-electric van concept at CES—373 miles on a charge, based on the new European driving cycle, or an anticipated 233 miles by U.S. EPA standards. That’s close to the driving range offered by...
Bengt Halvorson