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VW, Eaton Show New CCS Electric-Car Charging Station

 
1,876 views Jan 15, 2013
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Combined Charging System plug for DC fast charging

Combined Charging System plug for DC fast charging

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Volkswagen Group of America and Eaton have together unveiled a new single-port Combined Charging System (CCS).

The CCS meets the approved standard for charging from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and combines one-phase AC charging, three-phase AC charging, DC home charging and DC fast charging at public stations.

According to Yahoo Finance, the charger uses only a single connection, reducing the complication for customers needing to find a specific charging station for their vehicle.


Volkswagen's support for the CCS is indicative of the importance of standardizing charging and infrastructure worldwide--reducing the cost and complexity of selling electric vehicles in different markets.

"In comparison to other charging standards, CCS offers advantages because it requires only one cut out in the vehicle body, thus reducing costs and making it easier for customers to handle charging," said Dr. Volkmar Tanneberger, Head of Electrics/Electronics Development, Volkswagen AG.

Tannenberger added that CCS enables optimal data communication--and can be quickly adapted to potential smart grid concepts in the future.

The system is able to handle up to 86 kW, making it the most powerful charging system available--and suitable for future electric cars, designed to handle ever faster charging rates.

Including Volkswagen, eight automakers from the U.S. and Europe have committed to the CCS standard. Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche have all adopted the standard, covering a potentially wide range of future electric vehicles.

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Comments (22)

  1. fb_1001015277 avatar John Briggs Posted: 1/15/2013 5:35am PST

    New terminology for me? CCS.

    Is that the J1772 with dc fast charging added?
     
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  2. fb_799475006 avatar Pat Bahn Posted: 1/15/2013 11:21pm PST

    looks like it's all sorts of things.

    it says 3 phase, so i guess it works on all sorts of things
     
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  3. JPnSD avatar J P Posted: 1/16/2013 1:23pm PST

    It is the standard that was approved by SAE last October for DC Fast Charge connection. The single outlet on the car can take either AC Level 1 & 2 J 1772 connector on the top portion....ot DC Level 2 charging using the connector illustrated in the picture. One outlet - two types of plugs can connect to it (top portion AC - total outlet top and bottom for DC)
     
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  4. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 1/15/2013 6:40am PST

    Ok now lets get some cars and stations going so we can see how it works.
     
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  5. syndilu avatar Confidential Confidential Posted: 1/15/2013 9:37am PST

    Great news, thanks for sharing! The SAE J1772 DC Fast Charge Connector referenced here is actually pictured at http://rema-ev.com/dc-fast-charge/. The one pictured here is the European Type 2 Combo, not used in the States.
     
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  6. fb_1559222512 avatar Xiaolong Li Posted: 1/16/2013 3:31pm PST

    Thanks for the info.
     
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  7. Chris O avatar Chris O Posted: 1/15/2013 10:49am PST

    "The system is able to handle up to 86 kW", that doesn't make it "the most powerful charging system available"; that would be Tesla's supercharger system that delivers more than 100KW. Since the big batteries that are the future of electric motoring need that sort of capacity and more this CCS system is instantly obsolete. Unless one accepts the vision of most carmakers that the future of EVs is mostly short distances/city driving of course.
     
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  8. olden avatar Just O Posted: 1/15/2013 11:47am PST

    Ouch, so much marketing, er, droppings, my head is spinning.
    And Mr Ingram, you relay this with a straight face?

    "importance of standardizing worldwide": pushing for a new connector for Europe, another for the US, both different than what's already all over Japan and elsewhere -- and for zero benefit in charging speed, safety, convenience etc -- means the exact opposite.

    Wait, here's THE ONE advantage: "only one cut out in the vehicle body, reducing costs, blah blah...". How many cut-outs does the Leaf have already? And isn't it with the i-MiEV one of the cheapest EV so far?

    "up to 86kW": actually this makes it the weakest DC-fast-charge system to date, behind CHAdeMO and Tesla.

    Finally, "available". Aha, good one.
     
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  9. fb_1559222512 avatar Xiaolong Li Posted: 1/15/2013 2:57pm PST

    this plug is a problem for cars currently equipped with J1772 AC sockets only.

    How does cars such as Leaf, Volt, PIP, e-Focus using charging stations with this combo plug? It won't fit. There is NO point to have a "combo" plug...
     
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  10. JPnSD avatar J P Posted: 1/16/2013 1:26pm PST

    This connector is only for DC Fast Charge...only the top portion of the corresponding socket is used for AC Level 1 & 2 charging using existing J1772 connectors.
     
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  11. fb_1559222512 avatar Xiaolong Li Posted: 1/16/2013 3:24pm PST

    So, let us say you have a Leaf or the Volt or the Focus EV or the Pip with existing J1772 connector (AC only) and you pull up to one of those charging station that has the "combo" plug. How does the combo plug fit into the existing J1772 AC only sockets on the car?
     
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  12. fb_100003874383730 avatar Matt Moreno Posted: 1/15/2013 8:01pm PST

    Sorry CCS aka Frankenplug, your done. Nissan is planning on having 600 Chademo stations installed across their dealer network by the end of March. That plus the $21,300 after tax price for the Nissan Leaf S and Chademo is here to stay:
    http://www.torquenews.com/1075/nissan-build-dealership-based-chademo-quick-charging-network
     
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  13. JPnSD avatar J P Posted: 1/16/2013 1:27pm PST

    US and European automakers are releasing vehicles with this outlet on the vehicle in 2013 for 2014 models. Get ready for CCS charging in the public arena.
     
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  14. fb_1559222512 avatar Xiaolong Li Posted: 1/16/2013 3:23pm PST

    But what about cars that doesn't have this "combo" socket already exist today? over 50,000 plugins are already sold. The combo plug is certainly NOT backward compatible.
     
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  15. fb_661642165 avatar Kevin Kalb Posted: 1/16/2013 8:52am PST

    Nearly 2000 Chademo-standard fast chargers have been installed around Japan and the rest of the world since 2009, but the Euro/American automakers and SAE want their own standard (made in 2012) without even having compatible vehicles on the road yet. This is clearly political BS to catch up with the Japanese OEMs.

    Chademo installations around the world:
    http://goo.gl/maps/sEY5u
     
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  16. robok2 avatar robok2 Posted: 1/16/2013 10:07am PST

    One of the dumbest posts I've read in a long time... Yeah, the Japanese OEMs are so far ahead on EVs, aren't they? Toyota & Honda don't even believe in them and have zero plans to release volume model EVs as a result, but they're ahead? Wow, delusional much? Is it the poor reviews and sales for the LEAF that give them this alleged edge?

    Here's a real world observation based on reality and not your personal bias; not everyone in the world thought the Chademo was optimal and many wanted a better charger. Funny how those pesky engineers for other companies selfishly want to improve on an early charger, selfish people that they are...

    And a whopping 2K chargers globally... Hilarious. Where are EV/PHEV sales higher again, Japan or the U.S.?
     
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  17. fb_661642165 avatar Kevin Kalb Posted: 1/16/2013 12:00pm PST

    What US OEM is selling an all-electric vehicle? The Volt is not an EV. Tesla has sold a couple thousand. Ford has sold about 500.

    The US has (1) three times the population of Japan, and (2) of that population comparison, 20-25% more people own cars in the US than in Japan. So of course EV sales are higher in quantity here, as are any type of vehicle (ICE, plug-in, diesel, etc). And of the pure EVs sold in the US, how many are Japanese-made?

    And yes, 2,000 PUBLIC fast charging stations compared to the total number of EVs sold is way higher than the ratio of gas stations to gasoline-powered vehicles.

    Toyota has the RAV4 EV on sale and Honda has the Fit EV (both CA only). (Who dominates plug-in sales, BTW?)

    Such a dumb post! #robospam
     
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  18. JPnSD avatar J P Posted: 1/16/2013 1:30pm PST

    Only the Nissan LEAF and the Mitsubishi I can use CHAdeMO connector presently.
     
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  19. fb_1559222512 avatar Xiaolong Li Posted: 1/16/2013 3:29pm PST

    Who dominates all the current EV charging station usage? All the plugin PHEVs...

    There are far more J1772 charging station than the Chademo DC fast charging stations..
     
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  20. olden avatar Just O Posted: 1/17/2013 2:43am PST

    @robok2: come back to your senses and check eg EV sales numbers. Kevin is right, Nissan has a dramatic lead, worldwide.
    Japan is also way ahead re quick-charging infrastructure.
    Next, given SAE's ties, past attitude towards EVs etc, it's perfectly reasonable to question its motivations here.
    IMHO they do an immense disservice to this country by sabotaging QC deployment.

    @JP: It's certainly not just the Leaf and i-MiEV. All fast-charge-capable EVs, with the exception of Tesla's and some not sold outside China, currently use CHAdeMO.
    http://www.chademo.com/items/

    @XL: adding PHVs to EVs only strengthen the case against CCS, as, as you correctly point out, it's not compatible with any existing vehicle, and most likely no hybrid ever will be.
     
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  21. JPnSD avatar J P Posted: 1/16/2013 1:31pm PST

    It is the SAE standard that we have been awaiting since the standard process began. A lengthy process. Improvement is that one outlet on car in future will accomodate both AC and DC charging. AC on top portion, DC using top and bottom (see illustration of DC connector in article - even though it is the european version).
     
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  22. fb_1559222512 avatar Xiaolong Li Posted: 1/16/2013 3:27pm PST

    So, the socket will work with either AC or the DC plug. But why bother with the combo plug?
     
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