Nissan has announced the milestone of 1,000 CHAdeMO quick chargers installed in Europe has been reached.
The 1,000
th EV charging station was installed at Roadchef Clacket Lane Services in Surrey, UK.
The fast charging unit can recharge the batteries of compatible
electric vehicles from zero to 80 percent charge in 30 minutes, and at
zero cost.
Nissan said the installation of the fastest type of chargers
dramatically 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.
The latest charger has been installed in collaboration with
Ecotricity, a UK green energy specialist. The location south of London
on the M25 motorway, considered one of the busiest in Europe, allows
drivers west of London easy access to Kent and onwards into Europe“.
This is a huge landmark for zero-emission mobility, allowing a range
of EVs, including the Nissan Leaf and forthcoming Nissan e-NV200
electric van, to quickly extend their journeys,” said Director of
Electric Vehicles, Nissan Europe, Jean Pierre Diernaz. “The UK charging
network is expanding rapidly and through our partner Ecotricity,
customers are able to ‘refuel’ their car for free with wind and solar
generated electricity.”
According to Nissan, this latest charger 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.
Nissan explained the rate
of installation of CHAdeMO quick chargers
across Europe rose sharply in 2013, hugely increasing access for its
Nissan Leaf customers. In 2010 there were just 16 quick charging points;
this rose to 155 a year later and 540 in 2012. The 1,000 mark in 2013
will be dwarfed by the end of 2014 with over 1,800 quick charger points
expected.
Investment in this Euope-wide development of infrastructure comes
from Nissan and 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.
Read more: 1,000 European EV Quick Chargers Energized - HybridCars.com