'Morning. I've taken some time to digest my notes from yesterday in hopes of providing some insight into how the 'sausage making' process will affect the Leaf. The best I can say is "I Can't."
The J1772 process is a high-level standards-creation and worldwide EV charging harmonization process. Once the process is complete, there will be another possible charging interface for the world's electric cars and plug-in hybrids. In the end, the auto manufacturers and charge infrastructure builders will have to decide which way to go.
It's not just a US problem. There are competing connectors and methods in Europe as well. China is just getting into the standards act. Korea's SAE is creating a liaison with the US SAE for charging.
The world community is sharing notes and working toward harmonization of signaling, wiring options, and charge/control methods - so that a car manufactured in China can be used in North America or Europe after changing only the charge connector on the car. This means that wiring has to be adaptable, signaling compatible, chargers smart and configurable enough, etc. National electric standards and codes are changing, ISO and IEC standards are being created and/or modified...it's a huge interconnected web of 'problem' to get a new connector ready for use.
The DC fast charging add-on for the J1772 connector is not just a US 'problem' - it's designed to be used with the larger Euro L2 connector as well - and that adds another level of coordination.
Fit testing happened yesterday. Car-side and EVSE-side connectors from five manufacturers fit and worked perfectly - mechanically and electrically.
The committee found a need for adjustments and more tweaking in July and again in August. It appears that the connector design and all parameters are almost complete.
Once the connector design is complete, there is Department of Energy money available for rapid production tooling and implementation. The target is still to have production-level connectors on the street by year's end, but the committee also recognizes that this would require shortening their desired abuse testing. Plenty can happen either way, but a conservative estimate is that we'll have connectors available 1st quarter of 2011.
The final US L3 / DC fast charging process, once the J1772 connector is finalized, is for the committee to put the TEPCO/CHAdeMO connector on the table next to the final J1772 connector and then vote on which will be the accepted North American charging path.
In the mean time, auto manufacturers NEED a standard and available connectors so they can continue vehicle development and/or deliver fully-functioning cars. CHAdeMO is becoming the defacto standard.
Here's what the charge connector process looks like from a European perspective. The J1772 process is included here. There's good stuff for those wanting to understand the 'big picture':
http://www.park-charge.ch/documents/EV_infrastructure_strategy.pdf
STRATEGY FOR EUROPEAN EV & PHEV CONDUCTIVE
CHARGING INFRASTURCTURE: ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION
By http://www.protoscar.com , and Eduard Stolz - Park&Charge
September 10th, 2009
Interesting points on the charger size challenge - it talks to why 3.3kW chargers will be max for most vehicles in the near term:
up to 3.7kW on board chargers (with possibility to further limit the current)
will be the only EU-standard for EV-home charger. Higher, and multiphase,
will –if the market pays for the service- be offered only as an option
(eventually by companies installing “big batteries”, such as TESLA or
Daimler)
For home charge, 3,7kW (1 phase) shall be the maximum power supplied.
Wiring is nationally and even locally different in terms of quantity and size of
cables and cannot be standardized.
