Japan discloses CHAdeMo fast charger info to increase acceptance

There's no question that the CHAdeMO quick-charging technology standard is a Japanese thing. But the Japanese government wants to take it global, and has thus disclosed more information about the CHAdeMO quick-charging technology standards as a way to encourage CHAdeMO adoption by more automakers. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry would like to see the charging infrastructure grow and EV prices come down by encouraging more competition through a widespread charging infrastructure. Before the announcement, the standard was only available to some automakers and power companies. Some of the information that will be disclosed includes the shape of the plug that connects the car to the charger and how to prevent electrocutions, writes Green Car Congress, citing Nikkei. CHAdeMo uses 480 volts of electricity, so safety will continue to be an important issue to address.

Outside of Japan, the question of which fast charging technology will prevail is an open question. The new SAE Combo Charger design was unveiled earlier this year, but its exact standards have yet to be released. Still, most non-Japanese EV makers are embracing this technology rather than CHAdeMO. Right now, the only available mass-market EVs capable of fast charging with CHAdeMO are the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i.

CHAdeMO was jointly developed by Toyota, Nissan and others, but Toyota has yet to take a stand on what fast charging technology will be used for the Toyota RAV4 Electric or other plug-in Toyota products. Most likely, it will be CHAdeMo for Toyota, joining ranks with the Japanese auto industry, versus U.S. and German automakers waiting for the SAE Combo Charger details to be announced. It has been a source of conflict between automakers.