High current power connectivity is nothing new but in recent years new applications have emerged which require a new approach to power connectivity.
The automotive sector is one such application where rapid charging of electric vehicles is leading to new innovations in device connectivity. A typical charging cable deployed in the electric vehicle charging infrastructure is required to perform a minimum of 10,000 mating cycles at up to 200 amps. To put that into context, if you plugged your phone in to charge once a day it would take 27 years to reach 10,000 mating cycles and I doubt anyone has a charging cable that is 27 years old. 
Phoenix Contact has also been working on the next generation of electric vehicle combined AC/DC connectors for High Powered Charging (HPC) with the ability to deliver up to 500 amps and shorten charge times to just a few minutes. As the amps increase so does the operating temperature and so the challenge for HPC is heat management. This is achieved by actively cooling the cable and contacts during the charging cycle which in turn increase charging efficiencies.
For the commercial vehicle market we have developed 400 amp battery swap connectors for use in electric buses to minimise operational downtime. The technical challenges to achieving this are considerable and require the connector to be both vibration resistant during operation and provide tolerance compensation during automatic mating with a requirement for over 10,000 mating cycles. 
Energy storage for home and commercial applications are rapidly evolving and complements solar or wind to deliver the energy when needed and not dependant on the weather. This is an area of technology where more conventional solutions are applicable and we offer a wide range of solutions. PCB connectors are not always considered for high current applications but we offer solutions up to 232 amps with various connection technologies.
For more information on our solutions for battery storage please visit us at the Battery Tech Expo on the 15th of March 2018 at the International Centre Telford.