Nissan previously announced a quick charger with Sumitomo. The new charger is about half the size.
Nissan North America (NNA) today announced that it is bringing what it calls a low-cost DC quick charger for its Leaf EV to the U.S. market as part of a global collaboration with Sumitomo Corporation. The first installations are planned for early 2012.
Through this new charger, which operates on a 480 volts of current, charging time for the all-electric Leaf will be under 30 minutes from a fully depleted state to 80% charged, which means roughly 50 miles of range, depending on driving conditions.
The starting price for the charger is $9,900. Nissan claims this is about a third of the cost of models available on the global market today. The Sumitomo quick charger will come in two models: one for indoor use for fleets such as daily rental cars; and an outdoor model for public and commercial charging.
In the U.S. several problems are inhibiting widespread adoption of EVs: the high cost of the EV itself even with lavish taxpayer subsidies, which are unsustainable given current deficits; the generation of 50% of electricity in the U.S. by carbon monoxide producing coal, the dirtiest of carbon based fossil fuels; and the lack of a national grid to move power around during peak demand periods.
Nissan and Sumitomo also announced that they are looking to Nissan North America’s preferred home charging station partner AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) to be their wholesale and retail distributor, as well as the preferred provider for U.S. installation services.
Nissan announced the development at a press conference associated with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in Honolulu, where Nissan also is offering test drives of the all-electric Nissan Leaf.
Nissan previously announced a joint promotion of the DC Quick charger with Sumitomo. The newly developed DC quick charging unit retains the high performance of current quick chargers but is nearly half the size – making for a more compact footprint and easier installation.
See also:
- Ford Taking Orders for 2012 Focus Electric at $39,995
- Chevrolet and Nissan Succeed with Plug-in Hybrids and EVs as the Business of Plugging In Shows First Product Results
- U.S. Automakers Push for Single EV Fast Charging Standard
- Nissan Taking Leaf EV Orders in New U.S. Markets
