Nissan Introduces Its Own Level III EV Quick Charger in Japan
21 May 2010
Nissan Motor Co. is commencing sales of Nissan-developed quick chargers through its regional parts sales affiliates in Japan in preparation for the December release of its Nissan LEAF.
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| Nissan Quick Charger. Click to enlarge. |
Nissan developed the quick charger in-house, applying its R&D expertise accumulated in development of EVs and related plant equipment which already installed its EV production plants. Nissan says that this gives the quick charger a competitive pricing advantage at the manufacturer’s preferred price of ¥1.47 million (US$16,299).
Nissan plans to install 200V standard chargers at 2,200 Nissan dealers nationwide before December, 2010. In addition to that these Level III quick chargers will be available at 200 selected dealers as well. For the convenience of Nissan LEAF drivers, at least one quick-charge unit will be available within a 40-kilometer radius throughout the country.
The product follows the CHAdeMO protocol (earlier post) so it works not only with Nissan EVs but with those of other automakers’ EVs as well. In addition to the standard model, Nissan offers variants for hot and cold climates.
| Nissan Level III Fast Charger | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Hot-climate | Cold-climate | ||||
| Model No. | NSQC-44-A-1 | NSQC-44-B-1 | NSQC-44-C-1 | |||
| Rated input | 49kW three-phase 200VAC | |||||
| Output voltage | to 500VDC | |||||
| Output current | to 125A | |||||
| Power supply connector | Compatible with JEVS G 105-1993 | |||||
| Optimal operating temp. range | -10~40 °C | -10~50 °C | -20~40 °C | |||
| Special features | Cooling system | Heater and cold-safe cable | ||||
With such low prices for 50kW chargers they will pop up everywhere where EVs are sold in any important numbers. 16000 USD is far less than it costs to set up an ordinary gas station and a hundred times less than the cost of a hydrogen station. The branding value alone of having a fast charger available for visitors will cause many companies and government buildings to install them even if they are seldom used. High end EVs like Tesla’s Model S could also come with an option to use two of these 50kW chargers simultaneously so you could charge 25kWh in 15 minutes or enough to go another 100 miles.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 21 May 2010 at 05:02 AM
$16k is very low.. Competition should drop the price even further.. How is payment for the charge handled with this system?
Posted by: Herm | 21 May 2010 at 05:36 AM
Yes, those low lost 50+ KW chargers will multiply. By splitting a battery pack into 3 modules, it should be possible to use 3 equivalent chargers simultaneously and reduce charging time to about 1/3. For quick charge purposes, future e-vehicles will need modular battery packs. It would be ideal to start with 3 modules and add 3 more at a latter date, when price comes down and performance goes up.
Posted by: HarveyD | 21 May 2010 at 07:12 AM
Wow - that is a fraction of the price of other high-power quick chargers. Good job Nissan. And getting at least one installed within 40km (25mi) will sure reduce range anxiety.
Posted by: Dave R | 21 May 2010 at 12:21 PM