Manufacturer using home made connector

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Feb 26, 2018
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What causes a scooter manufacturer to use a home made connector for charging their scooters instead of using some standard?
I was looking at Ather a electric scooter from india and they seem to have used they own connector that looks a bit like mennekes type 2.
Pictures at https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/207826-e-motional-connect-my-ather-450-a.html

Surely this will be a silly thing in the future if each manufacturer have their own connector and own charger and own charging station etc.

I am not sure but it seems the Ather connector might have both AC and DC.
AC for slow home charging.
DC for the fast charging station.
DSC_8126.jpg
DSC_8189.jpg
I havent seen the connector from a Ather fast charger but i am guessing the bottom to pins are used for DC.

Could they not have used this connector instead?
IEC62196-3 FF or whatever its called.
plugs_iec62196-3_ccs2_socket.jpg

Then have mennekes type 2 connector for home charging which almost looks the same as the connector they are using.
And then use Combined Charging System Combo 2 connector at the fast charging station for DC.
Sure the design of Combined Charging System Combo 2 looks like crap but maybe its more fun that it looks like crap and be able to charge then it looks so pretty and not be able to charge.

Or how about having both the home made Ather connector and the Combined Charging System Combo 2 connector on the scooter.
That way you have more options.
 
That scooter is for the Indian market, if they decide to sell them in the EU they will have to make some modifications to it anyways to make it road legal.
 
So why not choose a connector that is standard in india instead of making they own connect that nobody else is using?
 
You could also ask, why not make your custom connector?

As you probably read in that forum in the charging section.

The home pod is paired to the scooter and automatically authenticates my scooter every time I charge it. Forget any other EV, we can't charge even other Athers.

So my guess would be money. They can charge you for the custom charger + installation etc.
It's not a bad idea actually, I would probably do it too.
 
https://www.atherenergy.com/

So the home page says

Designed, not built


We have designed the Ather 450 and everything around it from scratch to offer an exhilarating ride and a hassle-free ownership experience.

So far so good. They might be interesting people to talk to. Maybe since you have one, you're in India, you might be able to get them to discuss their bike right here. The way QS discusses their motors. Don't make it an attack, just convince them people here might help them build a better bike.
 
eee291 said:
You could also ask, why not make your custom connector?
Because if each scooter manufacturer makes they own connect it will become silly that a public charging station would have to offer 100 different connects and keep adding new ones as new models comes to be able to offer charging to all scooters.

Or that you have to charge at the Ather public charger and you scooter buddy have to drive some place else because the scooter he have uses another connector.
 
So, why should they care?

I don't know if you are just naive or what.
It's like Apple with their iphone charging port and how they are paid royalties for every aftermarket cable sold otherwise they would be locked out or whatever.

There is probably no regulation about plug type on scooters, so it's every man for himself.

and MONEY! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
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