Description

The study aims to analyze the trends in the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, exclusively focusing on direct current (DC) charging, and summarize the highlights of the market. This research service provides a strategic analysis of the EV DC charging market in China, Europe, and the United States.

The EV charging infrastructure market is experiencing a significant change in terms of DC charging, which is the fastest way of charging an EV. This type of charging employs direct current from the source to charge a vehicle's battery, reducing the charging time to 15–25 minutes, depending on the battery capacity of the vehicle. At present, 4 different types of DC charging systems are being used by OEMs—CCS 1 and 2, CHAdeMO, and Tesla. About 90% of German automakers use CCS; CHAdeMO has been adopted by Japanese OEMs; and Tesla is a proprietary charging standard for Tesla cars. Most of the infrastructure operators are focusing on installing multi-standard DC charging stations, which will include CCS and CHAdeMO in a single unit. The network has been set up to counter competition with Tesla’s super-charging network. CHAdeMO has more charging points across Europe than CCS. The new legislation is making the CCS plug mandatory, which will help fill the gap. The CCS standard will be applicable for the ultra-fast 350kW charging stations. SAE’s J1772 task force is looking at the connector rating and changing to support higher power and faster charging in a way that is backward-compatible with existing DC charging capable vehicles. The task force tested the SAE combo inlet and published the test report on the J1772 about a year ago. The initial current test was at 350 A, but now that the joint venture is looking at 400 A, the plan is to add that test in future. Mitsubishi Outlander is the only plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) that has a DC charging compatibility. Approximately, only 80% of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have DC charging compatibility, which is likely to change and become 100% in next 3–4 years. The Chinese government has planned to invest more than $18 billion from 2012 to 2020 in new energy vehicle (NEV) development, where nearly $1 billion is dedicated for infrastructure construction.