first photo of german standard plug for electric vehicle charging stations

Leading automotive and energy companies have reached agreement on a common "plug" to recharge electric cars, a spokeswoman for German energy company RWE said Sunday.

The three-point, 400-volt plug, which will allow electric cars to be recharged anywhere in a matter of minutes, is set to be unveiled Monday at the world's biggest industrial technology fair in Hanover, northern Germany.

"A car must be able to be recharged in Italy in exactly the same way as in Denmark, Germany or France," an RWE spokeswoman, Caroline Reichert, was quoted as saying in an edition of Die Welt to appear Monday.

She gave no timeframe for the introduction of the plug, saying that talks between the companies were ongoing.

The agreement on a common standard for the plug comprises several major automakers, including Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota and Mitsubishi.

Energy firms signed up to the accord include Eon, Vattenfall, EDF, Npower, Endesa and Enel.

Berlin hopes that one million electric cars will be on the road by 2020. RWE and Daimler launched a pilot project in Berlin in September.

The development of a common plug is a major step towards the mass production of electric cars!


Mercedes Benz Electric Vehicle

Connection with the future
By David Schraven 20th April 2009, 01:52 clock

At the Hanover trade fair, which starts today, a male presented with the electric cars in record time can be refueled - an invention that many companies are forced to adapt

On review of the performance of German industry, the Hanover Fair this year will be a relatively small object of attention. It is a seemingly simple plug. He is about palm size and not very visually appealing. And yet he has the best prospects, a symbol for the future road will be. Because the connector is a new standard for power cars set the standard for the electrical service stations in Europe.

According to information of the WORLD, the 20 largest energy companies and car manufacturers on the basic cornerstones of the plug in electric cars of the future agreement. Three phase, with an output of 400 volts and up to 63 amps, use the ports have enough power in batteries to be pumped to defeat electric cars in a few minutes to get back afloat. In a few days will also be the details of the new industry standard will be presented.

The message is crucial for the future development of current cars, such as Carolin Reichert explained. Reichert is head of the department for developing new business in the power group RWE. She says only if it is Europe-wide single connection for the current cars are, this could be built in volume. "A car must be fueled in Italy can be, as in Denmark, Germany or France." With problems such as razors or laptops in other countries would need for the passenger car sales in advance to be solved. The standards for each provider will be freely accessible.

However, it will still take some time before the electric car to a genuine alternative to petrol and diesel will. Experts estimate that up to 20 years can take. According to Bernd Bohr, CEO of automotive supplier Bosch, especially prevent the high costs of electric drive and batteries rapid expansion of the drive. For the current memory, which has a range of 200 kilometers guarantee were due around 8000 euros - that you will get almost an entire gasoline car. Before the batteries are not a triple higher power density than today had was a detachment of the internal combustion engine "illusory," said Bohr.



Similarly, the development also RWE boss Reichert: "It is not that tomorrow every second car with power moves." The development time needed. But it was also clear in which direction the market would develop. The head of the energy utility E.on, Klaus-Dieter Maubach, agrees with her: "The question is not whether, but when." The manager wants its network to the introduction of electricity align cars. There are many problems. Because the network must be kept stable when the daytime or at night while tens of thousands of cars on or off. According to Maubach would the whole system of power change.

The trend for the electric car is also confirmed by an almost unified political will across Europe carried. Pioneer is still the UK, where the purchase of electric cars soon to be promoted directly. Already in 2011, each Briton, an environmentally friendly vehicle purchases, up to 5000 pounds (about 5700 euros) as grant received. In London, the city 25 000 Power to build gas stations. Here today, driving electric vehicles in 2000.

There are programs with which the British car to drive development. With Nissan and Jaguar have around 500 million pounds on the European Investment Bank to build a new production. The British hope that Nissan with the money his holding in Sunderland to Europe for a major work, together with Renault-developed electric car makes. From here, from 2010 onwards will have electricity to run trolleys from tape. First, these are shipped to the U.S., then from 2012, Europe will be supplied.

Also in Germany, the Federal Government to support programs. 500 million euros it has already provided. Of these, 115 million euros on the development of a network with power stations. In Berlin, the pilot utility Vattenfall and RWE together with Daimler and BMW started. Similar projects are already in Oldenburg, Germany, the Ruhr and Frankfurt in the permit phase.

The development has gained momentum while, but before they get going, it needs a major growth obstacles. The electricity need powerful batteries. And this is the agreement on the guiding plugs. The new standard must be at ease in the foreseeable future all battery developers submit if they are in current mobile market participate. And for them is urgent.

In Japan, close to the major car manufacturers with battery producers. Hando is cooperating with the specialists Yuasa. The Toyota Group has a partnership with the electrical market leader Panasonic. Nissan has teamed with NEC.

Also in Germany looking for the car companies competent partner. Volkswagen can supply batteries from Sanyo. And DaimlerChrysler is at 49 percent in the Saxon company Li-Tec recently.

The partner company will Kamenzer from 2011 car batteries in mass production, says marketing director Claudia Brasse. "We can then quickly up to 100 000 cars a year to equip." Today the plant produces in a novel pre batteries because of their technology, smaller, lighter and safer than conventional lithium-ion batteries were. "We assume that the price in mass production by 50 percent of press," says Claudia Brasse. The machinery and the know-how were there. Now, it is a question to the necessary volumes to come.

That it had not been too long, also show indications of the Federal Government. It is expected that already in 2020 more than a million cars stream in Germany will be underway. Some of the major hurdles on the way there have been overcome. The small connector is also included.


e-mobility berlin
Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel "betankt" mit Daimler-Chef Dieter Zetsche, RWE-Vorstand Jürgen Großmann und dem Präsidenten des Verbandes der Automobilindustrie Matthias Wissmann bei der Vorstellung des Elektroautoprojekts e-mobility Berlin von Daimler und RWE am 4. September 2008 einen Smart mit Elektroantrieb.

CNN

BERLIN (AFP)--Leading automotive and energy companies have reached agreement on a common "plug" to recharge electric cars, a spokeswoman for German energy company RWE AG (RWE.XE) said Sunday.

The three-point, 400-volt plug, which will allow electric cars to be recharged anywhere in a matter of minutes, is set to be unveiled Monday at the world's biggest industrial technology fair in Hanover, northern Germany.

"A car must be able to be recharged in Italy in exactly the same way as in Denmark, Germany or France," an RWE spokeswoman, Caroline Reichert, was quoted as saying in an edition of Die Welt to appear Monday.

She gave no timeframe for the introduction of the plug, saying that talks between the companies were ongoing.

The agreement on a common standard for the plug comprises several major auto makers, including Volkswagen AG (VLKAY), BMW (BMW.XE), Ford Motor Co. (F), General Motors Corp. (GM), Fiat SpA (FIATY), Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and Mitsubishi (7211.TO).

Energy firms signed up to the accord include Eon, Vattenfall Group, EDF Energies Nouvelles SA (EEN.FR), Npower, Endesa SA (ELEZF) and Enel SpA (ENEL.MI) .

Berlin hopes that 1 million electric cars will be on the road by 2020. RWE and Daimler launched a pilot project in Berlin in September.

The development of a common plug is a major step towards the mass production of electric cars, Reichert told Die Welt.

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