Nissan has installed 1,000 CHAdeMO quick chargers in Europe
02 February 2014
Nissan has installed 1,000 CHAdeMO quick chargers in Europe. The fast charging unit can recharge the batteries of compatible electric vehicles—Nissan LEAF (Model Year 11 and 13); Nissan e-NV200 (launched 2014); Citroen C-Zero; Mitsubishi i-MiEV; Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV; Peugeot iON—from zero to 80% charge in just 30 minutes, and at zero cost.
Nissan says that the installation of the quick chargers significantly increases the uptake and usage of electric vehicles. In Norway, Europe’s biggest EV market, the number of electric vehicles using the E18 highway increased eight fold in an 18 month period after a CHAdeMO quick charger was installed on the route. (Figures collected from toll cameras on the E18 highway in Norway where electric vehicles are identified by the “EL” prefix to vehicle registration plates and are exempt from highway tolls.)
The latest charger, installed in the UK, is part of a network of 195 chargers in the UK, which is forming electric corridors across the country, linking major towns and cities. In the UK, Nissan has been working with partners including IKEA, Moto, Roadchef, Welcome Break and Nissan dealers to create this rapidly growing network with 124 quick chargers installed in 2013.
The rate of installation of CHAdeMO quick chargers across Europe rose sharply in 2013, increasing access for Nissan LEAF customers. In 2010 there were just 16 quick charging points. This rose to 155 a year later and 540 in 2012. More than 1,800 quick charger points are expected by the end of 2014. Together with Nissan, investment in this Europe-wide development of infrastructure comes from a multitude of partners in the energy field, including the Swiss multinational power company ABB, French quick charger manufacturers DBT, and the Portuguese EFACEC Corporation, leaders in the electromechanics field.
A good move by Nissan.
If all others (20+) manufacturers make the same effort, Europe would soon have 40,000+ public charging sttions.
Next generation (10 minutes) quick chargers should become common place within 2 to 3 years.
There is room for both regular charging stations for work place, restaurants, shops etc and quick charging stations on hgihways.
Posted by: HarveyD | 02 February 2014 at 07:35 AM
"Next generation (10 minutes) quick chargers should become common place within 2 to 3 years."
The only "next generation" QC is the Tesla SuperCharger and Tesla has already improved peak power delivery from 90 kW at it's introduction to 120 kW currently and will soon be bumping it up further to 135 kW.
These are already in the ground and allow one to drive coast-to-coast in the USA.
Everything else (CHAdeMO and SAE combo) is only ~50 kW currently, but without any cars that can do more than 50 kW there is very little incentive to push those standards faster.
At this point in time it seems that everyone should just jump to the Tesla plug/protocol.
Going significantly faster than a Tesla SuperCharger will be difficult without increasing DC voltage significantly - they are already pushing 350A which requires some beefy wire. But unless battery pack voltages are increased, it seems that some sort of on-board DC-DC inverter will be required to get to 250+ kW charging unless one is willing to accept very large cables.
Posted by: Dave R | 02 February 2014 at 12:34 PM