Dual-standard charging stations developed
Two competing electric car manufacturers are working together to deliver charging stations suitable for most vehicles.
BMW and Nissan have been cooperating in the development of fast-charging stations in America, and have so far installed them in 120 locations across 19 states. These stations can recharge most electric car batteries to about 80% in less than half an hour.
This is significant because not all charging stations can be used by all cars. There are in fact three different fast-charging standards:
- CHAdeMO standard used by the Nissan, Mitsubishi and Kia
- Combined Charging Standard (CCS) preferred by most US and German manufacturers
- Tesla Motors’ own Supercharger standard.
However, BMW and Nissan have developed fast-charging stations that can accommodate both the CHAdeMO and CCS standards.
While there are about 10,000 CHAdeMO stations worldwide, development of CCS stations has been slower. BMW has been trying to accelerate this recently, and has already partnered with Volkswagen to install 100 CCS stations in America.
Dual-standard fast-charging stations are gradually becoming the standard for new installations.
