why are there different shapes of electric plugs around the world why isn’t there a universal one

Question

why are there different shapes of electric plugs around the world why isn’t there a universal one

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Part of it has to do with different current standards; to avoid people plugging in, say, an appliance using 120V 60Hz AC in an outlet delivering 210V 50Hz AC. That would be bad for the device.

As for why different plug shapes exist in countries with synchronized electric grids – the grids weren’t always synchronized, and different regions developed their own preferred plug designs before voltages were standardized across the continents. It was just easier to keep the old standard plug shapes and use travel adapters than to rewire every building and appliance in the land.

For more info on the different plug standards, see https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/