Nissan has announced that it’ll be adding quick-charging stations for its Leaf electric vehicle at over 100 U.S. Leaf-certified dealerships.
The quick charge stations allow the Nissan Leaf to be recharged from depleted to 80 percent in about 30 minutes. The quick charging initiative is part of the Japanese automaker’s plan to help expand the infrastructure for electric vehicle charging and help build consumer awareness for its all-electric Leaf model.
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The roll out follows a 24-dealer pilot program that Nissan has launched at dealerships in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and Seattle. During the pilot, the automaker has been able to study the frequency of use for the chargers and how they have impacted dealer operations. Since the pilot began, about 5,600 charging sessions have taken place with each location averaging about 4.5 sessions per day.
Installation of the new stations will begin in east coast markets this summer and Nissan expects to have quick chargers installed and operational at 100 additional dealerships by April 1, 2014.
“We are located at the intersection of two of the country’s busiest freeways, so having a quick charger available for the thousands of commuters who drive by us every day is a boon for business,” said Richard Luengo, general manager, Nissan of Downtown Los Angeles, which is averaging about 10 charging sessions per day at its quick charger. “There is a steady stream of folks using the charger, and we’ve generated significant good will in the LEAF community. Over the past four months, our dealership has seen a marked improvement in sales, and some of that is clearly attributable to the new quick charger.”
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