In Japan, It Could Be Easier To Charge A Car Than Fill It With Gas

Japan now has more electric car charging points than fuel stations, but does that actually make it practical to drive an EV every day there?

Bloomberg reported last week that the country has a larger charging infrastructure than fuel-filling one, with about 40,000 EV charging stations compared to 34,000 gas stations, according to Nissan’s statistics. That’s particularly impressive given the relatively short time EVs have been popular in Japan.

However, that comparison doesn’t tell the whole story, as the 40,000 figure includes plugs in private homes and garages that aren’t as open to the public as gas stations are. Even in Japan, the public charging infrastructure has a ways to go.

It’s a similar story in the U.S., with people relying on apps such as Chargepoint to tell you where you a charging station near you is. That’s fine, until it directs you to a charger that’s in someone’s garage or in a company’s parking lot that members of the public can’t get into – as shown in a recent Autoblog write-up with a VW e-Golf.

So yes, there are plenty of charging points opening up and taking some of the strain out of EV ownership. But more needs to be done to make it easier for the public.

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