Penske Truck Leasing has joined the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN), a worldwide industry alliance focused on promoting Combined Charging System (CCS) as the global standard for charging electric vehicles (EVs) of all types.

Penske will focus its attention on helping to promote electric vehicle charging standards for commercial vehicles in North America by participating with the group’s “High Power Charging for Commercial Vehicles Task Force” (HPCCV Task Force). Penske Truck Leasing is the first in its industry to join the CharIN organization.

As a leading services provider to commercial fleets, we feel standardization around electric vehicle charging and charging stations will help accelerate the use of electric vehicles within the transportation industry. The interoperability of vehicle charging stations over the road is essential for commercial fleet uptime, efficiency, maintenance, and general ease of use for the industry.

—Brian Hard, President and CEO of Penske Truck Leasing

Penske Truck Leasing sees increased interest among its commercial customers related to electric vehicles (EVs). Improving standardization with electric vehicle charging may help reduce complexity for fleet operators and truck drivers as well as maintenance providers, and recharging/refueling providers.

Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania, is a partnership of Penske Corporation, Penske Automotive Group and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. A leading global transportation services provider, Penske operates more than 270,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 1,000 locations in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, used truck sales, transportation and warehousing management and supply chain management solutions.

The Charging Interface Initiative e.V. (CharIN e.V) is a registered association founded by Audi, BMW, Daimler, Mennekes, Opel, Phoenix Contact, Porsche, TÜV SÜD and Volkswagen. Based in Berlin, Germany, it is open to all interested parties. The purpose of the CharIN organization is to develop and establish the Combined Charging System (CCS) as the global standard for charging battery powered electric vehicles.

In September in Detroit, CharIN is holding the North American CCS and ISO/IEC 15118 Interop Event, which also features the ninth CCS & ISO/IEC 15118 Testing Symposium.