The result of the work Audi has been doing for some time now, the universal connector kills more birds with the same stone. In simple terms, the connector can be used by any electric car owner to charge his vehicle at any charging station, regardless of the charging methods.
This means that the barriers imposed by the different methods used across the world can be overcome. The difference between one-phase AC-charging, fast three-phase AC-charging, DC- charging at home or ultra-fast DC-charging at public charging stations is blurred out, allowing any EV's access to any type of charging station.
“A smaller variety of vehicle interfaces reduces the complexity for deployment and development of electric vehicles. The universal interface provides the opportunity to conduct various charging scenarios with one single inlet. Otherwise several connectors and vehicle inlets were necessary for AC- and DC-charging,” says the German auto maker.
The connector, whose full details will be announced during the Chinese auto show, has been created to serve the invasion of electric vehicles that is planned for the next two years in Europe. In fact, the new connector is the result of the collaboration between Audi, BMW and Daimler, a collaboration meant to insure easier integration of their respective electric vehicles with one easy-to-use interface.
For the US, says Audi, the universal connector has been developed in collaboration with American automobile manufacturers. The system is currently pending international standardization, having been submitted this January for evaluation.
Google News