ODU adapters increase acceptance

27th October 2023

Paige West

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There are different charging standards for electric and hybrid vehicles worldwide, which differ in terms of the charging plug's shape, contact arrangement and number, performance data and signal transmission.

The changes to the interfaces in the USA (SAE-NACS) and in China (GB/T-ChaoJi) mentioned below will lead to a blending of the different standards. This in turn means that the vehicles will inevitably not always be compatible with the charging infrastructure and the search for a suitable charging station will become a laborious affair.

North American market

Tesla released the design of the charging interface between the e-vehicle and the charging plug as the North American Charging Standard (NACS) in November 2022. In mid-2023, numerous car manufacturers such as Ford, GM, Volvo, and many others have decided to use the NACS interface instead of the current Combined Charging System (CCS) for the North American market in the future.

Chinese market

The China Electrical Council (CEC), in cooperation with the Japanese CHAdeMO Association, has developed a common charging interface referred to as the ‘ChaoJi’ standard. In terms of performance, this is competitive with the widely used Combined Charging System (CCS) standards in a much more compact style.

Two standards in one rugged enclosure

Due to the above-mentioned changes, these markets require reliable and robust adapters that unify the respective standards and thus increase the acceptance of the charging process.

The ODU adapters meet the following requirements:

Backward compatibility
Perfect fit between charging plug and vehicle socket
Safe and comfortable handling
Robust plastic housing
> 10,000 mating cycles

Detailed knowledge of combining the charging standards was required in the development of the components. In particular, the adjustment of the different pole patterns in a compact enclosure required a great deal of know-how in the design of the respective contact parts.

The ODU TURNTAC contact technology used in ODU adapters combine high quality with the best contact properties to deliver the most economical prices. Even in adverse operating environments, the robust and reliable contact system has proven itself.