A standardization war over the best way to quick-charge electric cars is developing. The Japanese government and car industry should try to persuade carmakers of other countries to adopt a unified standard. For the time being, to avoid a disadvantage for Japan, they should strive to get such an international standard adopted from a charging system developed in Japan. They must emphasize that some 1,500 electric vehicles already using the system have proven the system's serviceability.
Carmakers, including ones from Germany and the United States, have proposed the adoption of their system. Non-compatible standards will cause inconvenience for users and hamper the spread of electric cars.
Since electric vehicles do not emit carbon dioxide, they are eco-friendly and expected to become increasingly important in the future car market. But they have a weakness: They have to be charged time and again when driven over a long distance. If they are charged at home using cheap electricity at night, it takes seven to eight hours to fully recharge their batteries.