This EV plug system going ‘the way of the dinosaur,’ expert warns
Some electric car owners are having a tougher time finding places to charge their vehicles as one kind of plug is being phased out at many charging stations.
CHAdeMO plugs have been around for more than 14 years and were the first fast-charging system for electric vehicles capable of fully charging a battery in less than an hour.
"It was a good standard. It allowed for interactivity between the grid and the car," said Ed Fanjoy, of the New England Electric Auto Association.
But Fanjoy said in recent years, other plug formats have been developed, including one by Tesla and another known as CCS.
Although still widely used in other countries, CHAdeMO plugs are now only used by two models: the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi Outlander.
Fanjoy said fast-charging stations equipped with CHAdeMO plugs are becoming harder and harder to find.
"In about five years, you'll be hard-pressed to find a CHAdeMO charger. Again, unless you're in Ukraine or Brazil or something, you might find some. But it'll go the way of the dinosaur," Fanjoy said.
CHAdeMO vehicles also have another plug attachment that can be used at slower charging systems, but they often require six to eight hours to get a full charge.
Most carmakers that use the CCS plugs plan to transition to the one developed by Tesla, meaning eventually, there will be one kind of charging plug that all electric cars use.