The United States Council for Automotive Research is set to formulate new standards for the high-voltage wiring and connections in plug-in automobiles. The alliance, which includes Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation, will be meeting to discuss the details at the SAE conference in Detroit on April 20-23.
The new standards will cover specifications for systems running up to 600V, replacing the old standards for wiring capacities of only 20V. This will allow plug-in manufacturers to avoid the expensive design and testings costs associated with proprietary hardware development, and will greatly ease the process of finding component manufacturers. Additionally, consumers will benefit from the interoperability, allowing customers of one company to use charging stations and the electrical grid of other companies.
As U.S. automakers continue to focus on electric-vehicle production, standards setting was only a matter of time. The new specifications will benefit not only them, but utilities, consumers, and presumably, foreign automakers looking to gain further share in the American plug-in market.
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