Nissan To Roll Out Its Own Fast Charging Network At Dealerships

Tesla Motors is aiming to be more than just an electric car maker, investing in a network of fast-charging “Superchargers” and battery-swapping locations across the country. Nissan is taking a play from Tesla’s book, and will soon roll out its own network of fast-charging stations at Nissan dealerships from coast to coast.

The Nissan fast-charging network will consist of 124 planned ChaDeMo charging stations located at Nissan dealers across the country. The charging stations will reportedly be able to charge the Nissan Leaf from 0 to 80% in about 30 minutes, comparable to the Tesla Supercharger network. The network should be fully operational in 21 “target” markets by April of 2014.

Nissan has already tested the system at 24 dealerships in California, averaging 4.5 recharges a day and rising as more Leaf owners realize the fast-chargers exist, though what isn’t mentioned is whether or not there is a cost associated with charging. The Tesla Supercharger network is free to Tesla owners; is Nissan providing the same courtesy?

It’s a different approach than Tesla Motors, which is deploying its Superchargers at rest stops along major highway routes, like I-95 on the East Coast. For Leaf owners, who tend to do more city driving anyways, having fast chargers at centrally-located dealerships makes more sense, at least for now. With Nissan finally reaching out and offering a charging network to customers, could we start seeing other automakers follow suit with their own fast-charging schemes?

Source: Green Car Reports