WOODSIDE, CA - A Sacramento-area electric vehicle charging station, which became operational May 3, is believed to be the first public station employing the updated SAE International standard for electric vehicle charging, according to the Electric Auto Association. 

Tom Dowling, charging infrastructure manager with the Electric Auto Association, had the J1772 interface installed. The station complies with the "J1772 Electric Vehicle and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler" standard. This newly updated standard, developed by the SAE Hybrid J1772 Task Force, addresses the required physical and electrical characteristics of the connector and vehicle electrical inlet. 

The charger for the station in Woodside, Calif., is a ClipperCreek model CS-40 with a 208-volt capacity.

At this time, there are no vehicles for the station to charge because there are no J1772-capable cars on the road yet. But Dowling said he expected an early Nissan Leaf, scheduled to visit the University of California at Davis this month, to be the first vehicle to use the station. Later this year, there should be lots of J1772-capable cars craving a charge at the station, he added.

"This installation of an SAE J1172 charging station is an important milestone," Dowling noted. "Here we have a fully UL-approved charging station, cable and connector. Suppliers are ready to provide fully approved equipment in volume. We're actually ready for vehicles before the vehicles arrive." 

The J1772 location also includes a public Tesla charging station, a ClipperCreek TS-90, and legacy charging stations for Toyota's RAV4 EV and Ford's Ranger EV.