Last Auto news - Sparks fly over plug battle

Last Auto news - Sparks fly over plug battle Socket star GM is backing SAE J1772 in the race to develop ‘one size fits all’ plug.

Electric cars will soon sport standardised plug sockets - but whose version will be picked? European and US car firms are set to battle it out.

A prototype ‘one size fits all’ plug for European manufacturers was due to be unveiled on Monday by German energy firm RWE. But US makers last week agreed to start working together on their own rival version.

Creating national networks of recharging points for all-electric vehicles is a long-held aim for many green campaigners  - and a standard connection would bring it closer to reality.

The RWE plug has been endorsed by makers including VW, BMW, Ford, Toyota and Fiat, as well as power companies E.ON, EDF and nPower. But at a meeting in Detroit last week, the US-based Society of Automotive Engineers agreed to set up a task force to work on its own connector. The SAE J1772 plug has been backed by GM, and could be used on the Chevrolet Volt, which is due in 2011. Any standard plug would need to supply power in varying voltages for different areas.