I tried not to begin this piece by saying that the biggest downfall of current EVs are their batteries, but by the time I realized what I was doing, the phrase had already typed itself…
Nevertheless, it is true, and Nissan, like all other makers of battery-powered electric vehicles, is aware of it. In the US, they are trying to at least partially counter the issue by installing more than 100 quick charging stations at Leaf-certified dealerships.
In fact, this announcement follows what seems to have been a successful 24-dealer pilot program (otherwise they would not have gone forward), which was run in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and Seattle.
The aforementioned stations proved popular, providing the power capable of topping up the battery up to about 80 percent state of charge in around 30 minutes. The highest frequency of charges per station was recorded at the downtown LA dealership, where it was used 10 times per day, while the average for all the stations rested at about 4.5 charges per day.
The mass installation operation begins this summer, and it is set to officially end by April 1, 2014, when Nissan plans to have all of the 100 stations in place.
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
