EU MOVES TO EV STANDARD

EU moves towards common electric car standards
Andrea Swalec (w/Marcin Grajewski and David Holmes), June 29, 2010 (Reuters)

"The European Union moved closer towards common standards for electric cars…[by launching ] work on a single charging system for their batteries.

"The European Commission and standarisation groups -- the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute -- signed a deal on defining how the plug and socket system should look and work…"

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"Under the agreement, the groups will develop the charging standard for the 27-nation bloc by mid-2011 while ensuring it is safe, interoperable with all types of electric vehicles and energy-efficient…European auto industry association ACEA said…it had agreed plug and socket specifications for slow or overnight charging, paving the way for EU-mandated standards…

"Common standards for electric cars are vital in boosting their sales…Global sales of plug-in cars, which are wholly battery powered and need to be charged from a power point, were forecast to be 23,000 this year, rising to 500,000 by 2015…The report said sales of plug-in cars would be hampered by high vehicle costs and short driving ranges compared with hybrids, which run partially on petrol and partially by battery."

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"Some analysts say common EU infrastructure might not be ready for the planned mass release of some electric cars…Tesla Motors…plans to release in 2012 a battery-powered electric sedan aimed at mass-market consumers…Nissan Motor Co's all-electric Leaf is due to go on sale in Europe early next year, and Renault's electric Kangoo and Fluence will arrive a few months later.

"In the United States, $15 million in federal stimulus funds have gone toward installing 4,600 charging stations across the country."