Whether it was Tesla’s introduction of the Supercharger system of fast-charging posts for electric vehicles or an attempt to curb the current range anxiety plaguing electric vehicles, it is no doubt a move in the right direction that Nissan is now setting up its very own fast-charging stations – 500 of them, to be complete in no less than 18 months.
The plans to build 500 fast-charging posts across the US would be very important for the industry as it would increase the current number of about 160 by more than three times. It may also spur on other plug-in vehicle makers such as Ford, Toyota and GM to add their own to the growing charging infrastructure.
Explaining the announcement, the director of Nissan’s electric vehicle marketing and sales strategy, Brendan Jones, envisioned a network of fast-charging posts within easy reach of the community in their very neighbourhood, helping to boost range confidence and make the use of electric vehicles even more popular.
As part of the plans, the three central locations to be considered would be Nissan dealerships, workplaces and campuses, and other neighbourhood locations. This means dealerships as well as local companies and municipalities such as NRG along with their eVgo Network would be part of the system.
eVgo, an NRG subsidiary, is aimed at providing a larger number of fast-charging Freedom Stations as well as secondary charging posts at homes, offices, hospitals and schools in the greater Washington D.C. area, California and Texas. With a $150 million investment, the company would provide services for either individuals or take charge of other companies’ EV fleets. The service is planned such that customers have unlimited charging from Freedom Stations at a monthly rate, instead of paying large sums for chargers.
To improve the service even more, eVgo could offer a free charging service, which could be supported by a high enough renewable energy capacity, in a manner similar to that of Tesla.
