Nissan installs DC chargers across Europe

Nissan has completed the first step of their aim to create a network of 400 DC Quick Chargers across Europe, by unveiling the first installations in France and the Netherlands.

The 400 chargers will be manufacturers and donated across Europe by Nissan for free. The direct current units will be able to charge up any CHAdeMOc ompliant electric vehicle, such as the Nissan LEAF, to around 80% capacity in just 30 minutes.

In the Netherlands, the charger forms the first part of a 40 unit network, which will mean the majority of Dutch motorists will be within 30km of a Quick Charger, anywhere in the country. The first Nissan unit is being installed on a commercial office estate, which is close to a strategic motorway junction in the central town of Amersfoort.

The first French Quick Charger has been installed at a Cora supermarket, in the town of Haguenau, which will be the first of the six charger network for the Alsace region – selected for its commitment to electric vehicles and strong government financial incentives to choose zero emission cars. In total France will install 40 Quick Chargers across the country, with details of other locations to be revealed in the coming months.

Oliver Paturet, General Manager of Zero Emission Strategy for Nissan Europe is delighted to see the first chargers installed, commenting: “The installation of these first ChAdeMO compliant Quick Chargers is an important moment for zero emission mobility in Europe. With the 400 chargers we have donated and the thousands our partners will install over the coming years, electric vehicle ownership will be opened up to a larger number of people in Europe. We are helping to develop more networks, like the one in the Netherlands, which means customers will never be too far away from a Quick Charger unit. In the coming months we will reveal our plans for inter-country, national and regional quick charging networks.”

The installation of the Quick Chargers is taking place during Nissan’s social engagement campaign ‘The Big Turn On’, which aims to promote electric vehicles and debunk the myths surrounding them. Nissan hopes to accelerate the development of an established electric vehicle infrastructure across the whole of Europe, expecting to have thousands of Quick Chargers installed by the end of 2012 and tens of thousands by 2015. Quick Chargers remove the concern that many motorists have about driving range, as it can be quickly and easily extended with these chargers.

Nissan’s Quick Charger is a Direct Current design that conforms to the ChAdeMO charging standard. It has been designed and engineered by Nissan to be smaller and cheaper than existing units and is fully approved to assist widespread installation. This charger can be made compatible with Renault’s AC 43kW fast charging system, and both systems will be offered together for future network expansion.

Around 30 Nissan dealerships are already equipped with DC charging facilities in the UK, which are available for Nissan LEAF drivers to use freely. With over 2,500 charging points charging points in total now displayed on Next Green Car’s Zap-Map, owning an electric car will become more and more practical for a larger portion of motorists.

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