Nissan Grows European EV Outdoor-Charging Network

Nissan says it will expand its European outdoor charging network 20% over the next 18 months.

The announcement follows the automaker’s rollout of a free EV-customer home-energy vehicle-to-grid program across the continent revealed to WardsAuto at the Nissan Futures event in Oslo.

Working with EV fast-charging standard CHAdeMO, the company already has built a comprehensive charging network with more than 4,600 quick chargers across the region. Nissan plans to invest in supporting the installation of an additional 1,000 chargers over the next 18 months. The company is working with its partners, business owners, municipalities and other stakeholders to ensure the rollout will provide installations on highways, in towns and throughout key European cities.

The program employs Nissan’s new double-speed 7-kW home charger which allows its EV owners to achieve a full charge in just 5.5 hours – a 70% reduction in charging time from the previous charging technology. Its 22-kW charger goes even faster, capable of charging a Nissan EV in just 2 hours. This is aimed at fleet and business owners, but it also can be purchased by consumers who want an even quicker charging experience.

At its Oslo event, Nissan also showcased a home-energy-storage system, which follows from the success of xStorage. Customers can plug their electric vehicle directly into the wall box to charge. It comes with its own built-in energy-storage system, allowing customers to better manage their energy costs and even generate their own electricity from solar panels, delivering 100% renewable and zero-emissions power for their car.

The system was developed in partnership with Eaton and has sold more than 1,000 units across Europe in just three months, with 5,000 units expected to be sold by the end of March 2018. Nissan expects to sell 100,000 home-energy units by the end of the 2020 fiscal year in Europe. The new range of home and office charging units will be available from early 2018.