BERLIN (AFP)--Leading automotive and energy companies have
reached agreement on a common "plug" to recharge electric cars, a
spokeswoman for German energy company RWE AG (RWE.XE) said
Sunday.
The three-point, 400-volt plug, which will allow electric cars
to be recharged anywhere in a matter of minutes, is set to be
unveiled Monday at the world's biggest industrial technology fair
in Hanover, northern Germany.
"A car must be able to be recharged in Italy in exactly the same
way as in Denmark, Germany or France," an RWE spokeswoman, Caroline
Reichert, was quoted as saying in an edition of Die Welt to appear
Monday.
She gave no timeframe for the introduction of the plug, saying
that talks between the companies were ongoing.
The agreement on a common standard for the plug comprises
several major auto makers, including Volkswagen AG (VLKAY), BMW
(BMW.XE), Ford Motor Co. (F), General Motors Corp. (GM), Fiat SpA
(FIATY), Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and Mitsubishi (7211.TO).
Energy firms signed up to the accord include Eon, Vattenfall
Group, EDF Energies Nouvelles SA (EEN.FR), Npower, Endesa SA
(ELEZF) and Enel SpA (ENEL.MI).
Berlin hopes that 1 million electric cars will be on the road by
2020. RWE and Daimler launched a pilot project in Berlin in
September.
The development of a common plug is a major step towards the
mass production of electric cars, Reichert told Die Welt.