Franco-German automakers have agreed to harmonise their plugs and create a uniform billing system. The move comes in parallel to an EU ministerial announcement that standardisation is paramount for EV success in the EU.

The Association of German Carmakers (VDA) announced the decision last weekend to use uniform plugs for charging electric vehicles circulating on German and French roads. Harmonisation of EV plugs and billing systems will allow users to travel between the two countries without the need to adapt to national specificities.

The billing system accompanying the move is comparable to that of mobile phone roaming. More specifically this refers to the communication between the board computer of the EV and the energy provider necessary to ensure a low tariff.

VDA President Matthias Wissmann praised the agreement between the two countries stating that “with this initiative Germany and France take a lead role” in ensuring that the necessary steps to integrate e-mobility into current transport policies are taken. Wissmann announced that testing in both countries will begin shortly. The aim is to highlight that a uniform approach is possible. The association hopes that their standard will be adopted Europe-wide.

Setting Standards

The agreement is based on the conclusions of a Franco-German working group that had found that the differences in the charging and billing systems can easily be overcome. The working group suggested solutions in various areas:

Safety;

• All charging systems require a 30 mA differential circuit breaker with performance at least equal to Class A and ground fault protection.
• Protection for any Direct Current (d.c.) leakage must be treated on the vehicle.
• Additional protection such as surge protection may also be necessary.
• The basic safety requirements for the infrastructure are specified in generic IEC 60364 that treats electrical installations and the IEC 61851-1 that treats the general aspects of safety of charging.

Dimensioning and nature of the charging infrastructure and vehicle charging

• The Franco-German group agreed that infrastructure should be constructed to satisfy the needs of the customer while respecting the capabilities of the electric distribution system.
• The opportunity here must be considered as this technology is at the beginning of its development and that the power demands will rise in the next years.

Definition of the charge connectors and the cable:

• The a.c. vehicle connectors and the charge spot sockets will conform to the IEC 62196-2 standard that will define the allowable geometry and power level.
• The connector must ensure bi-directional energy flow with complete safety.
• On the car, a unified connector capable of charging from 0 to 43 kW will be selected. This connector will be mandatory for charging above 4 kW.
• The IEC5 62196-2 type 21 connector is the only one that satisfies these conditions today.

Power of charge spots:

• 3 kW will be the reference for normal charge at home and on the curbside without need of smart grid communication.
• Higher powers (4 kW and above) may require smart grid communication to respect grid limitations.

Smart charging including metering, billing, roaming smart grid communication:

• The group recognised that the study of billing infrastructure and the communication from the vehicle to the charge spot is a major subject for consideration. These aspects are directly dependent on regional infrastructure but will be subject to regulation from the European Union.
• Metering should be performed in the infrastructure and not in the vehicle, as it is more reliable and less complex. As it would be counter productive to apply a specific higher tax to electricity for mobility so there is no need for on-board metering;

Overcoming differences

The announcement is as timely as ever as European industry ministers agreed in San Sebastian, Spain, that the standardisation of various designs and applications for use with EVs was a key area of policy development for a common European strategy, with a special emphasis on a uniform charging infrastructure. The move supports Spanish industry minister Miguel Sebastian’s drive to “do things right from the beginning”.