When the first thousands of electric cars were launched in California in the mid to late 1990s, they used a variety of different charging methods, each with its own dedicated charging station.

Given the high cost of installing different infrastructures for different brands of cars, this has proven to be an obstacle that cannot be ignored.

When electric cars returned to the market in 2011, this mistake was largely avoided.

Don’t miss: Chargeway: The best electric car idea you’ve never heard of

With the exception of Tesla, all plug-in cars sold in the United States now use the familiar circular charging connector called J-1772.

Even Tesla provides an adapter cable, so standard public charging stations can be used with special outlets suitable for their cars (except in China).

Since 2011, every electric car has been equipped with a charging cable in the trunk to charge the battery using North American 120-volt wall current. This is called level 1 charging.

TurboCord dual 120V and 240V adapters

At the same time, a dedicated level 2 charging station uses 240 volts of electricity—actually the same setup and wiring as an electric stove or clothes dryer.

In due course, third-party companies believe that a charging line that can handle not only 120-volt wall current but also 240-volt power will allow electric vehicle drivers to charge faster and have greater flexibility.

It can also save them the cost of installing their own level 2 charging stations.

Read this article: BMW and Mercedes will offer wireless charging options for plug-in hybrids next year

Therefore, Aerovironment TurboCord and later other similar portable EV charging cables were born. They consist of a standard charging cable connected to a plastic box containing electronic equipment.

They provide a pair of interchangeable plugs instead of wires with plugs, usually on wires called "plaits". One has a standard three-phase grounded 120 volt plug, while the other has a different plug suitable for a 240 volt wall outlet.

This is the problem: the United States has more than one 240-volt wall socket. In fact, there are a few.

2016 Volvo XC90 T8 with AeroVironment TurboCord Level 2 charging cable

We surveyed automakers that now provide plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with charging cables that can handle two voltages, especially Audi, BMW, Nissan and Volvo.

In the four brands, they use three different 240-volt plugs, all of which are standards developed by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).

Both BMW and Volvo announced that they will provide TurboCord as original equipment with a NEMA 6-20 plug for 240 volt charging.

Check out: 2016 Volvo XC90 T8: the first plug-in hybrid car with 240 volt charging cable

Audi's dual-voltage charging cable is equipped with standard NEMA 6-50 pigtails, but you can choose to order NEMA 14-50 pigtails for an additional fee.

Finally, Nissan will use NEMA 14-50 plugs to provide 2018 Leaf with pigtails.

With the exception of Nissan, the other three brands are all from countries/regions that use the standard European 230-volt current-which means that the US 120-volt connector, if available, is a downgrade of its standard charging cable.

NEMA 6-50 plug socket

The electrical union tells you that different plugs are used for different applications, depending on the power of the appliance to be connected and the maximum amperage of the dedicated circuit leading to it.

Electric vehicle drivers arrive at their destinations (usually RV parking lots, docks, or even friends’ homes with 240-volt electrical outlets) but find the wrong NEMA socket to use the car’s power cord for 240-volt charging, which can be annoying.

However, this is not as challenging as it was in the 1990s, when some electric cars used induction paddles for charging, while others used wires and plugs.

In fact, with a little preparation, this is a very solvable problem.

All it takes is for other manufacturers to follow Audi's approach and provide various pigtail options.

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