A future with one plug: how universal EV outlets simplify charging for electric vehicle owners

Have you ever found yourself frustrated with the numerous types of charging plugs for electric vehicles when going to charge your car? Picture this: a future where every charging station supports a universal outlet. No more worrying about whether your plug will fit or if you need an adapter. Sounds like a dream, right? Well that dream is now real. 

University of Delaware professor Willett Kempton and his coauthors have recently released a new paper outlining a new universal EV outlet standard in World Electric Vehicle Journal. His coauthors include University of Delaware PhD graduates Rodney McGee and Garrett Ejzak. 

There are three standard EV charging connectors – the part you hold in your hand that plugs into EVs with matching inlets – in North America. Rather than requiring three charging stations at each location, Willett and his team proposed to have a universal EV outlet on the charging station, and cars would come with a cable with a universal plug to plug into the station. 

The solution for EV charging is similar to what has already evolved for charging cell phones and other portable electronics. Cell phones and laptops have many different types of power inlet connections on the device, incompatible with each other. This solution was deliberately designed so that todays’ EVs and charging stations do not need to be replaced.

Because these new standards have resulted from a consensus of more than 150 participants from the automotive, charger, and power industries, new innovations will also be coming with the adoption of the new standards. These include lower-cost and lower-maintenance charging stations, higher energy efficiency. 

Kempton, McGee and Ejzak can be reached by clicking Kempton's contact button.