Project ChaoJi: the background and challenges of harmonising DC charging standards

Nicknamed ChaoJi, the co-development of a new DC charging standard harmonising two of the three existing international DC fast charging systems, CHAdeMO and GB/T, started in 2018 as a Japan-China bilateral project. This unprecedented work of creating a brand-new plug that handles up to 900kW, while ensuring safety and backward compatibility with the existing systems, evolved into an international technical collaboration platform of experts beyond these two countries. With the sole objective of making a truly excellent new system, the experts voluntarily joined, bringing together their knowledge and market experience from around the world, and marked a turning point from battles for charging technology supremacy to international cooperation for the long-term harmonisation of standards.