A review of international charging coupler standards and its availability in Hong Kong

The Electric Vehicle (EV) charging system aims to provide a controllable power supply to EV for energy refuel. Such system consists of several core elements: The grid-connected Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (source), the charging couplers (transmission) and the EVs´ battery (load). This paper presents a study of several worldwide-adopted charging coupler standards and how these standards could enhance unity, safety and compatibility for today´s overwhelmed developing Electric Vehicle charging utilities. Comparisons among the standards would be made in terms of appearance, rated charging voltage, current, communications protocol, proximity and compatible charging standards. Finally, an overview of the currently-available Hong Kong charging stations would be shown to see the adaptability the standardized coupler when connected to local charging stations. The feasibility of adopting different standardized couplers for Hong Kong charging stations and EVs would also be studied.