21.9.2011 Nissan to develop low-cost 'quick' charger

Nissan has teamed up with leading utility and electrical vehicle supply equipment companies to speed development of cheaper, smaller, quick chargers for electric vehicles.

The primary intention is to reduce the costs of rapid DC charging units, and to accelerate the installation of publicly-available Quick Charge (QC) points in the UK and 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 such as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV or Peugeot iOn, could conveniently use their vehicle for longer journeys and recharge the batteries to 80% capacity in less than 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 CHAdeMo DC quick charger delivers 50 kW of high voltage DC electricity straight to the battery, speeding up the charging process. There are currently several such chargers installed in the UK, mostly at Nissan dealerships but also under the One North East infrastructure scheme – however they are currently particularly expensive to purchase and install. To see the locations of current DC QCs, see our Zap-Map.

Nissan LEAF has a range between charges of around 100 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.

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. The rollout of these two types of charging facility will reduce range anxiety often associated with driving electric vehicles.

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.

Newspress