Nissan has teamed up with leading European utility and electrical vehicle supply equipment companies to speed development of cheaper, smaller, quick chargers for electric vehicle batteries, and accelerate the installation of publicly-available Quick Charge points across Europe.
Agreements with Circutor, DBT, EFACEC, Endesa and Siemens are expected to result in a dramatic reduction in the price of the units- by over half to under €10,000 (US$13,700), paving the way for businesses such as service stations, car park operators and retail outlets to install quick chargers and run them profitably as a commercial enterprise.
This will allow EVs to recharge their battery to 80% capacity in less that half an hour.
Nissan expects “thousands” of QCs across Europe by the end of 2012, and tens of thousands by 2015.
The quick charge delivers 50 kW of high voltage direct current (DC) electricity straight to the battery, speeding up the charging process.
Nissan said that the challenge to build cheaper and smaller quick chargers will be met by combining its QC technology together with the regional strength of its European partners’ know-how.
Compliant with charging policies of European countries, the QCs are also AC quick charge ready to support the arrival of AC quick charging cars.
