Nissan moves to speed up EV charging infrastructure

Nissan has teamed up with leading European utility and electrical vehicle (EV) supply equipment companies to speed development of cheaper, smaller, quick chargers for electric vehicle batteries, and accelerate the installation of publicly-available Quick Charge (QC) points across Europe.
February 29, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
2454 Nissan has teamed up with leading European utility and electrical vehicle (EV) supply equipment companies to speed development of cheaper, smaller, quick chargers for electric vehicle batteries, and accelerate the installation of publicly-available Quick Charge (QC) points across Europe.

This agreement between 2454 Nissan, 3370 Circutor, 3368 DBT, 3371 Efacec, 3373 Endesa and 1134 Siemens is expected to result in a dramatic reduction in the price of the units - by over half to under €10,000 (US$13,668) - paving the way for businesses such as service stations, car park operators and retail outlets to install quick chargers and run them profitably as a commercial enterprise. This will mean Nissan Leaf drivers, and other quick charge enabled vehicles, could use their car for longer journeys and recharge the car's battery to 80 per cent capacity in less that half an hour.

As a result, it is expected that there will now be thousands of QCs across Europe by the end of 2012, and tens of thousands by 2015. Nissan says this infrastructure will open up Leaf ownership to a whole new spectrum of buyers who occasionally need to do longer journeys. A quick charge allows the battery to be topped up in little more time than it takes to refuel a conventional car, and the owner can leave the vehicle while it is being 'refuelled' to make calls, have lunch or take a break.

A Cha de Mo DC quick charger delivers 50 kW of high voltage direct current (DC) electricity straight to the battery, speeding up the charging process.Nissan Leaf has a range between charges of up to 175 km (109 miles) as tested over the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

"We are confident that the Nissan Leaf's range will be enough to satisfy most drivers' daily needs. However, with a significant number of QCs available across Europe, EV owners who need to drive longer distances will be able to do so with confidence, knowing they will be able to recharge no matter where they go, which we believe is essential for the mass adoption of EVs," says Toshiyuki Shiga Nissan COO.Deliveries of Nissan Leaf have already begun in the UK, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. Order books have also opened in Switzerland, Belgium Norway, Sweden and Denmark with customers in those markets expected to start receiving their cars shortly.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Off road trials for electric highways technology
    August 11, 2015
    Following the completion of the feasibility study commissioned by Highways England into dynamic wireless power transfer technologies, off road trials of the technology needed to power electric and hybrid vehicles on England’s major roads are due to take place later this year. The trials are the first of their kind and will test how the technology would work safely and effectively on the country’s motorways and major A roads, allowing drivers of ultra-low emission vehicles to travel long distances without
    Read More
  • Road pricing revenue a source of investment funds
    February 16, 2012
    When channelled back into the road sector, revenue from road charging is seen by many as a source of additional investment and research funds as Patrick Smith reports. Late in 2010, three major European organisations put out a policy statement calling for fair charging for greener, smarter and safer road infrastructure. ASECAP (the European toll road operators organisation); ERF (European Road Federation) and the IRU (International Road Transport Union), said that in recent years the concept of road chargin
    Read More
  • Call for new ways of funding road infrastructure
    February 16, 2012
    In the first of a two-part article, Jack Opiola, a prominent global expert on transport policy and a leading member of IRF Geneva's Policy Committee on ITS, introduces the urgent need to develop new, more equitable revenue mechanisms to replace fuel taxes as a means of funding and maintaining road infrastructure
    Read More
  • Renault and Qualcomm sign MoU on wireless EV charging technology
    July 25, 2012
    Qualcomm and Renault have announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for their intended cooperation on the London trial of Qualcomm Halo Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) technology, and their intent with respect to conducting preliminary studies of the integration of this technology into Renault vehicles.
    Read More

Highlighted Content