Since the first appearance of the electric vehicle (EV) in the mid-19th century, humanity has not given up on the exploration of EV charging technology. Today I will take you through the process of charging technology development.

The process of EV development

The earliest electric car batteries were disposable and were disposed of when they ran out of power, so there was no concept of recharging them. The invention of rechargeable batteries meant that newer models of electric cars could use the same batteries without having to be replaced. Early electric cars were not widely used, so commercial charging stations were not developed. In addition, many homes were not connected to electricity until the early 20th century, so charging an electric car at home was impossible.

Early Electric Vehicles

In the early days of the United States, 38% of cars were powered by electricity. When these cars ran out of power, the battery was usually removed from the car and installed back in the vehicle after charging in the Battery room. The 6kW Wattstation, introduced in 1910, was the earliest prototype of charging equipment for electric cars, and the mercury rectifier was still used to convert AC to DC. At that time, like today, electric cars were initially toys for the rich and famous, only among the upper class.

Battery roomCorner of Battery Room
Wattstation6kW DC offboard charging-1910 callled”Wattstation”

In 1914, GM introduced the first DC charging station, the “Electrant” . They were like telephone booths, placed all over the city to charge tens of thousands of electric cars. From the information at the time, it had a separate billing system and could draw up to 150 amps to charge the lead-acid 48V batteries of the time. Its charging connector was similar to the current EV charger design. It used a single-cell coaxial connection, with the hole in the middle of the interface being energized and the shell grounded, which was the early form of the interface. Interestingly, the charging connector could not have been unified more than 100 years ago and still cannot be unified today.

"Electrant" 150A 48Vdc 1914“Electrant” 150A 48Vdc 1914

By the end of the 20th century, the United States introduced the 1772 plug and inductive coupler. It was only in the 21st century that the five-hole structure of AC was gradually introduced, the combined AC/DC charging interface of CCS1, and the upcoming MCS interface (one of the MW-class high-power fast charging: 3000A charging connector structures!). The change in the form of the charger interface also reflects the change in charging technology, i.e., the tendency towards more excellent market compatibility, because only the unification of the interface can facilitate the rapid iteration and development of charging technology.Ev Charging Equipment Evolution

Type 1 CCS plug and socket

Due to the development of the automobile industry in the 1920s and the improved quality and quantity of roads, electric cars with limited driving range were not more suitable for long-distance driving. At the same time, the reduction of gasoline prices promoted the rapid development of fuel cars, which varies with the economic development of countries, which is why today, the development of electric vehicles in the world has different needs.

By the end of the 20th century, humanity became more and more aware of the problem of air pollution, so the large-scale development of electric vehicles became the consensus of most people today.

Dc Off-board Chargingbattery Swapping; 50 Years Ago

Recent Electric Vehicle Development

Looking back, many technologies now and 50 years ago have mostly stayed the same. As the scale of commercial companies continues to increase and more and more manufacturers are involved, the demand for charging facilities is rapidly being released, and the need for charging infrastructure is again of particular importance. That is why Tesla later considered charging facilities in tandem with its decision to enter the EV space. However, with the popularity of electric vehicles today, charging technology will improve even more, and SETEC POWER will continue to work on this path.