The ChaoJi connector (, meaning "Super" and referenced as CHAdeMO 3.0) is a proposed standard for charging electric cars, under development since 2018. The connector has a

lemniscate In algebraic geometry, a lemniscate is any of several figure-eight or -shaped curves. The word comes from the Latin "''lēmniscātus''" meaning "decorated with ribbons", from the Greek λημνίσκος meaning "ribbons",. or which alternative ...

shape (

∞ The infinity symbol (\infty) is a List of mathematical symbols, mathematical symbol representing the concept of infinity. This symbol is also called a lemniscate, after the lemniscate curves of a similar shape studied in algebraic geometry, or ...

), with a flat bottom edge and is planned for charging battery electric vehicles at up to 900 kilowatts using

direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or eve ...

. The design incorporates

backward compatibility Backward compatibility (sometimes known as backwards compatibility) is a property of an operating system, product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with input designed for such a system, especiall ...

with

CHAdeMO CHAdeMO is a fast-charging system for battery electric vehicles, developed starting in 2010 by the CHAdeMO Association, formed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company and five major Japanese automakers. The name is an abbreviation of "CHArge de MOve ...

(used globally) and the GB/T DC-charging (used mainly in mainland China), using a dedicated inlet adapter for each system. The circuit interface of ChaoJi is also designed to be fully compatible with the

Combined Charging System The Combined Charging System (CCS) is a standard for charging electric vehicles. It can use or connectors to provide power at up to . These two connectors are extensions of the IEC 62196 Type 1 and Type 2 connectors, with two additional d ...

, also known as CCS (used mainly in Europe and North America). A joint agreement between the CHAdeMO association and the China Electricity Council/

State Grid Corporation of China The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), commonly known as the State Grid, is a Chinese state-owned electric utility corporation. It is the largest utility company in the world, and as of 2022, the world's third largest company overall by re ...

was signed on 28 August 2018 after which the development was enlarged to a larger international community of experts.

Implementation

the plan was for new EVs to be fitted with a female ChaoJi DC inlet. This inlet can be co-sited in a "Combo" format underneath a GB/T-AC inlet (female), an SAE J1772 AC inlet (male), or 1‒3-phase AC Type 2 inlet (male). For the charging infrastructure, DC fast-chargers would be fitted with the common ChaoJi male plug outlet and implement one or more variations of communication protocols: # ChaoJi-1 operating under the GB/T protocol, for primary deployment in mainland China. # ChaoJi-2 operating under the CHAdeMO 3.0 protocol, for primary deployment in Japan and other parts of the world. Communication between the car and charger would use a

CAN bus A Controller Area Network (CAN bus) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other's applications without a host computer. It is a message-based protocol, designed originally for mu ...

for both ChaoJi-1 and -2. A unified communication protocol based on Ethernet is also under consideration. Power transfer pins are and attached to the infrastructure (male) side. The connector is designed to be at least as strong as a CHAdeMO outlet.

Megawatt charging

A new coupler codenamed ‘Ultra-ChaoJi’ with an additional set of power pins above the standard ChaoJi pinouts, is currently under development. Ultra-ChaoJi is expected to be used by electrified heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), airplanes and ships in the near future.

Implementation

Megawatt charging

References

Further reading