Did you know that throughout the 1800s, there was no centralized system of paper money in the United States? Before the Federal Reserve Bank was created by the U.S. government in 1913, each bank issued its own custom money, and by the end of the 19th century, there were more than *five thousand* different kinds of bank notes floating around this country. There was no centralization. There was no standardization. It was chaos.
Fortunately, we’ve learned a valuable lesson about using industry standards.
Let me ask you a question: when you shop for a new DVD player, do you need to spend any time trying to figure out which brand of discs your new player is compatible? Or does the fact that all consumer electronics companies adhere to an industry standard when it comes to the physical dimensions of DVDs allow you the freedom to consider ALL different brands, features and models of DVD players? Of course it does.
This is why it’s critical – as we begin to consider the paradigm shift toward battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) – we must adopt an open standard when it comes to recharging these cars; this is the quickest way to ensure proliferation of these cars among the American driver. The idea that you might be forced to adapt to one specific kind of recharging technology could potentially cripple the widespread adoption of these zero-emission vehicles.
A forum of panelists convened in Palo Alto on a recent evening to discuss this topic – the title of the event was: “EVs: Transformational Change or Niche Trend?” A journalist in the audience focused in on this thread, which was picked up by Reuters.
EV Charging Stations
It’s going to take quite a few years before ALL Americans fully embrace the idea of ‘driving clean’ – we must do nothing to retard this effort, and everything to help spur it along. Which is to say, the driver must feel completely comfortable with the ease of recharging their vehicle. Having a completely open charging system, and industry standards when it comes to charging protocols is the surest way to ensuring success.
