Vehicle brands using CHAdeMO
One million electric vehicles (EVs) equipped with the international CHAdeMO charging standard have been sold globally. This milestone was achieved in October 2020, with nearly one of every two electric vehicles sold in Europe fitted with this technology. This feat makes it the second most-popular Direct Current (DC) fast-charging system globally, behind only China’s GB/T system.
CHAdeMO-equipped EVs have been on the market since 2009 within multiple global manufacturer models. It has also been adopted as a charging standard in many different countries across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, including here in South Africa.
The charging system is available in 90 countries across the world where most manufacturers cater for both this and CCS charging technology. South Africa National Standard SANS 62196-3 includes a National Forward that the allowed configuration for all DC conductive charging on domestic, industrial, commercial and public access charging is both CHAdeMO and Combined Charging System 2 (CCS2).
There are some 20 EV manufacturers around the world producing CHAdeMO-equipped and capable vehicles, including Tesla which achieved 1,000,000 vehicles produced in March this year. More than 30 different charger types for this technology are currently in use worldwide, all using a standard plug design for complete compatibility with all CHAdeMO-capable EVs.
CHArge de Move is a global industry standard charging association formed in 2010 with the association name derived from the Japanese phrase “O cha demo ikaga desuka”. Translated to English, this Japanese phrase is “How about a cup of tea?” in reference to the time required to fast charge an EV.
As the two current most-popular DC fast-charging system globally, China Electricity Council (CEC) and CHAdeMO Association earlier announced the next-gen ultra-high-power DC charging protocol being co-developed by these organisations to harmonise fast charging technology. CHAdeMO 3.0 enables DC charging with power capabilities over 500kW and backward compatibility of the 3.0-compliant vehicles with the existing DC fast charging standards (CHAdeMO, GB/T, and possibly CCS).
The national uYilo e-Mobility Programme serves as member to the international CHAdeMO Association and Charging Interface Initiative e.V.