Nissan plans to add at least 500 quick-charging stations to US in next 18 months, tripling the quick-charging infrastructure
01 February 2013
Nissan plans to triple the current electric vehicle quick-charging infrastructure in the United States with the addition of at least 500 quick-charging stations in the next 18 months, including the greater Washington DC area’s first fast-charge network. Nissan outlined the strategy at the Washington Auto Show.
Nissan has been working on accelerating a European quick-charging network since 2011. (Earlier post.) Nissan and its charging infrastructure partners estimate that about 160 fast chargers are currently available for public use across the United States, and no fast chargers are available for public use in Washington D.C. Most electric vehicle (EV) drivers now rely on home charging, and having additional charging options can significantly increase their rate of EV driving.
We envision a quick-charging network that links communities and neighborhoods where people live, work, shop and socialize. Having a robust charging infrastructure helps build range confidence, which boosts interest in and use of electric vehicles. By improving the charging infrastructure, Nissan furthers its commitment to bringing electric vehicles to markets throughout the United States.
—Brendan Jones, Nissan’s director of electric vehicle marketing and sales strategy
Nissan’s strategy is focused on a three-prong approach to increase the number of available fast chargers though its dealer network, workplace campus charging and opportunities within local neighborhoods that help interconnect communities where drivers spend the bulk of their time and do the majority of their driving. Nissan is working with its dealers, local municipalities and infrastructure partners that include NRG Energy and its eVgo Network to increase the current number of public charging options.
A key part of this infrastructure enhancement is eVgo’s new greater Washington, DC ecosystem, which will include a network of 40 eVgo Freedom Station sites across the area. Each Freedom Station site will have a Nissan fast charger that can provide EVs such as the Nissan LEAF with up to an 80% charge in less than 30 minutes. NRG’s new greater Washington, D.C. network will be the first such network of fast chargers in the northeastern United States. NRG currently operates similar networks in Houston and the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and has announced networks in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Joaquin Valley areas.
Through its subsidiary eVgo, NRG’s investment of approximately $150 million in EV charging infrastructure will provide EV drivers with access to hundreds of public fast-charging Freedom Station sites along with level 2 (240-volt) charging stations at homes, offices, multi-family communities, schools and hospitals across Texas, California and the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
eVgo provides charging solutions directly to EV owners as well as businesses looking to serve the EV charging needs of their residents, tenants, employees or customers. Service plans offered by eVgo enable EV owners to avoid paying large up-front costs for a charger and provide unlimited charging at Freedom Station sites for a monthly fee.
In addition to growing the number of public charging stations, Nissan aims to make charging available in more workplaces. While the majority of electric vehicle owners heavily rely on home charging, workplace charging has grown in popularity with an increasing number of companies providing this benefit.
To encourage more companies to offer charging benefits on their campuses, Nissan has collected best practices from corporations who already offer incentives for electric vehicle owners to share with other corporations who are interested in growing the workplace charging infrastructure.
Nissan has launched a study with about 30 dealers to help determine best practices for leveraging dealer participation within the fast-charging infrastructure to provide public access.
At least this is 50kWatt chargers that are useful for public charging when doing long-distance driving in a pure EV. In Europe we just decided to install 0.5 million 2kWatt chargers publicly that in my opinion are useless for 95% of all situations where you need to charge in a public place. Europe would have been much better off with 5000, 50kWatt chargers.
In ten years the 0.5 million chargers for Europe will be gone as nearly no one will use them and not enough to justify the expenses for maintaining them.
Japan is already fully covered with 50kWatt chargers. Tesla's cars for Japan will get a adapter so that they can also use these 50k watt chargers.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 01 February 2013 at 04:47 AM
If I understand correctly, all of Ford's CMax and Fusion Energi models come with a 1.5 kW charger, called an extension cord. Most Volt owners appear to recharge with nothing more powerful, and do fine.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 01 February 2013 at 06:26 AM
50kW chargers in highway rest stops are a good idea, in a shopping center in the center of a city not so good.. L2 charging docks are good for those locations, L1 120V are fine for charging at work and home.
Very important that fast chargers are reliable and not clogged up with ICEs, since people will foolishly depend on them for long distance travels.
Posted by: Herm | 01 February 2013 at 11:17 AM
If range is stopping Leaf sales, a 44 lb./2kw gas generator could emergency recharge ~6 mi/hr - w/wo a separate vented trunk compartment.
The Joint Center for Energy Storage Research is budgeted for ~9% battery density/range/price improvement per month[it's been two months, 18%] - so it shouldn't be long.
Posted by: kelly | 01 February 2013 at 12:55 PM
This also aims to install a quick-charging network that links communities and neighborhoods where people live, work, shop and socialize."By improving the charging infrastructureBy improving the charging infrastructure, Nissan furthers its commitment to bringing electric vehicles to markets throughout the United States."
Posted by: Alex Parker | 03 February 2013 at 09:57 PM
Nice to see Nissan doing this, with the limited range of the Leaf - long suburban trips are often out of the question - but an L3 charger along the way would make it much more feasible when needed.
I think the Tesla superchargers are 90kW chargers - and I often wonder when looking to the future (i.e. 2020 and beyond where we have 250-300 mile range packs for alot more cars) if the 50kW L3 chargers we're setting ourselves up with will be too slow.
Posted by: Sasparilla | 15 February 2013 at 12:05 PM