Japan plans new standards for fast-chargers

The Japanese government will implement new regulations to ensure that the capacity of fast-charging stations on highways will more than double by the end of this decade – from the current average of 40 kW to 90 kW.

“For high traffic areas and other places of heavy demand”, the average power of fast-chargers will increase to about 150 kW. As the Japanese business paper Nikkei reports, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will soon finalise corresponding guidelines requiring charge point operators to increase charging power. The government will subsidise the conversion.

Incidentally, the average power specification of 40 kW also goes back to the ministry. Nikkei does not mention how exactly this (new) average was determined. An average charging capacity of 90 kW in 2030 is not very ambitious. But: To reach an average of 90 kW, a large number of DC chargers with significantly more than 100 kW will need to go into operation – unless the slowest charging stations are shut down by 2030.

According to Nikkei, the guidelines also require the installation of charging stations every 70 kilometres along motorways. In addition, billing will change from time-based to kWh-based tariffs. Moreover, Japan’s government reportedly plans to relax safety regulations for fast-charging stations with more than 200 kW of power to make them less costly to install.

nikkei.com (paywall)