Nissan/Sumitomo To Offer Low Cost EV Quick Charger In The US

Among the current obstacles facing EV owners, one of the biggest is often charging the thing. In many cases, using standard 120 volt current can take up to a full day to charge the vehicle and DC quick chargers,(which can replenish battery packs in under an hour) are often few and far between.

They ‘re also exorbitantly expensive in many cases, which is why, so far you don’t see that many of them.

Nissan, in conjunction with Sumitomo Corp, is hoping to change that, by launching a lower cost DC quick charger next year, which will be distributed in the US through AeroVironment, Nissan North America’s preferred home charging station partner.

The new quick charger will come in two different versions, one designed for indoor use, primarily designed for EV fleets, such as rental cars or shuttles and another for outdoor use, such as public parking spaces, corporate offices or retail locations. The new DC quick charger can support all plug-in vehicles capable of quick charging on the CHAdeMO standard, including the Nissan LEAF which is available to U.S. consumers equipped with an on-board quick-charging port.

The new charger, which operates on a 480 volt electric current, can reportedly charge the LEAF to 80 percent capacity in under 30 minutes, yet is half the size of current models on the market. It’s also much cheaper. At a projected cost of some $9,900, it’s around three times less than existing DC units. As a result, Nissan is betting that the price factor alone will accelerate demand for these units, meaning they’ll become much more widespread in the next few years, thereby somewhat alleviating another major issue concerning all-electric vehicles; range anxiety.

Nissan and Sumitomo have already begun a pre-ordering process for the new DC quick chargers and will bolster that with an online ordering option early next year.