The second World EV Summit, which took place in May in Lillestrøm, Norway, brought together over 150 industry specialists, representing automakers, charger manufacturers, local governments and other interested parties. Representatives of Europe’s two competing fast charging standards called for cooperation, rejecting any notion of a standards war (G-8 leaders, take note).

Takafumi Anegawa, the founder of CHAdeMO and Managing Executive Officer of Tokyo Electric Power Company, spoke of his decade-long involvement in developing the CHAdeMO DC fast charge protocol. He told the story of a US auto engineer who criticized a local government for “killing the EV” by choosing a specific charging technology over another. Mr. Anegawa emphasized that CHAdeMO is an industry association that tests the compatibility of chargers and vehicles, and is not for the profit of any particular company. He asked automakers to collaborate, rather than compete, on EV charging infrastructure, and encouraged the deployment of multi-standard fast chargers.

Later, Christian Bischke of Carmeq, a Volkswagen subsidiary, spoke of the development of the CCS combined protocol (Combo), which Volkswagen will be using for all of its EVs. He also strongly advocated for multi-standard chargers, which can serve all EVs. Bischke said that a mere 5% of additional cost could convert a CHAdeMO charger to a Combo-CHAdeMO multi-standard charger, and that such “Combo-ready CHAdeMO chargers” are being released in the market by major charger manufacturers. “We want the customers to choose the car, not the charge stations,” he said.

Olivier Paturet, representing Nissan, joined the call for multi-standard fast chargers. He said, “It is unusual to hear from an automaker the product names of competitors, but major automakers sat down and agreed that we needed a solution for fast charging in order to foster the most positive environment both for consumers and investors alike.”

Source: CHAdeMO Association Europe