Nissan Accelerates Roll Out of EV Quick
Charge Network in Europe
400 quick chargers to be given away
free by Nissan
Installation in high profile locations
starting February 2012
Charge to 80% in 30 minutes
Rolle, Switzerland - Nissan is
accelerating plans for a European-wide Quick Charge (QC) network for
electric vehicles by giving 400 new quick charging stations free of
charge to EV charging operators.
Strategically located, these new points
will boost existing networks and give EV customers greater freedom and
flexibility by effectively extending the range of their car.
By recharging batteries in a fraction of
the time usually needed this radical step will help drive more customers
towards electric vehicles such as the Nissan LEAF.
The advanced lithium ion batteries in
Nissan LEAF can be recharged from 0 to 80% capacity in just 30 minutes
using a quick charger. Although a range between charges of up to 175km
will be enough for most Nissan LEAF owners, the spread of Quick Charger
networks will allow drivers to travel longer distances in a day.
Recharging a Nissan LEAF with a quick charger takes a little longer than
it takes to refuel a conventional car and is significantly cheaper.
The move follows an agreement between
Nissan and five of Europe's leading utility and EV infrastructure supply
companies to speed up the provision of the latest quick chargers
developed by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., which are cheaper - up to half the
previous price - and smaller than before. The target is to have a
network of quick charge stations across Europe with several thousand
units in place by the end of 2012 and tens of thousands by 2015.
To kick start this ambitious
programme Nissan is now announcing it will give 400 units away
to Zero Emissions Mobility partners and volunteering companies
in Europe, all of which are enthusiastic backers of the
company's ambitious electro-mobility plans.
A selection process started on October
10th after which winners will be awarded chargers according to how they
fulfill a strict list of criteria developed by Nissan. These include
convenient and accessible charger location, installation starting
February 2012 and free or discounted charging for all Nissan LEAF
customers for at least one year.
"With a significant number of QCs
available across Europe, EV owners will be able to recharge quickly no
matter where they go. We believe this is essential for the mass adoption
of EVs," said Pierre Loing, Vice President Product Planning & Zero
Emission Business Unit, Nissan International SA.
Quick Charge Technology
The new quick chargers are engineered to
the CHAdeMo standard and can deliver up to 50 kW of high voltage direct
current (DC) electricity. The CHAdeMO - Charge to Move - standard was
developed and agreed by a coalition of Japanese companies including
Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries. Nissan's QCs,
therefore, can be used not just by drivers of Nissan LEAF but also by
drivers of EVs from Mitsubishi, Citroen and Peugeot. The QC stations are
also 'AC ready' to support the arrival of EVs from Alliance partner
Renault designed to 43kW AC quick charge standards. The Renault-Nissan
Alliance is promoting infrastructure deployment based on AC-DC Mix Quick
Charger strategy.
