ChaoJi Socket CHAdeMO 3.0 DC Fast Charger ChaoJi Vehicle Inlets
On 22 August 2018, CHAdeMO Association, the provider of CHAdeMO, the most widely deployed DC charging standard, and the CEC (China Electrical Commission), that of the GB/T standard mostly used in the People’s Republic of China, announced their co-development of a new standard1 . Described as ‘almost shocking news2 ’ by an e-mobility news site, the story was featured not only in the e-mobility media but also in more general media outlets. It came as a surprise because multiple co-existing standards had become a given in the past decade, and there was no sign of harmonisation visible to the public. In the relatively short history of the DC fast charging systems, the background of multi-standard charging is well known at least amongst e-mobility stakeholders. In contrast, this CHAdeMO-CEC collaboration is much less documented and therefore almost unknown. This paper aims to review the project’s background, describe the process and key challenges they faced, and reflect on the impacts Project ChaoJi could have on the global EV charging infrastructure outlook, through both literature search and interviews with the key stakeholders behind the ChaoJi project. The first images have been released of the new standard charging plug jointly developed by the China Electricity Council (CEC) and the CHAdeMO Association. The new charging standard ChaoJi should enable outputs of up to 900 kW. The prototype of the new charging plug was presented at the general assembly of the CHAdeMO Association. The new charging standard is to be released in 2020 and bears the working title ChaoJi. The connection is designed for 900 amperes and 1,000 volts to enable the required charging capacity. Started as a bi-lateral project, ChaoJi has developed into an international collaboration forum, mobilising expertise and market experience of key players from Europe, Asia, North America, and Oceania. India is expected to join the team sometime soon, and governments and companies form South Korea and South-eastern Asian countries have also expressed their strong interests. Japan and China have agreed to continue working together on the technical development and to promote this next-generation charging technology through further technical demonstration events and the trial deployment of the new chargers. The testing requirements for CHAdeMO 3.0 specification are expected to be issued within a year. The first ChaoJi EVs will be likely commercial vehicles and expected to be launched in the market as early as 2021, followed by other types of vehicles including passenger EVs.