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Nissan has teamed up with
leading European utility and
electrical vehicle 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 Nissan,
Circutor, DBT, Efacec, Endesa
and Siemens is expected to
result in a dramatic reduction
in the price of the units- by
over half to under €10K- 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% 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. This infrastructure will
open up Nissan 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 of course
the owner can leave the Nissan
LEAF while it is being
‘refueled' 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).
Increased opportunities for
quick charging will mean that a
quick power boost will give
Nissan LEAF customers greater
driving opportunities.
"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.
The challenge to build cheaper
and smaller quick chargers will
be met by combining the
game-changing Nissan QC
technology unveiled in the new
Nissan DC quick charger,
together with the regional
strength of our European
partners' know-how.
Compliant with charging policies
of European countries, the QCs
are also AC quick charge ready
to support the arrival of AC
quick charging cars.
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. |
