Nissan welcomes the UK government's commitment to electric vehicle charging infrastructure

FEB

2013

Renault-Nissan Alliance Team
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Nissan welcomes the UK government's commitment to electric vehicle charging infrastructure

- Government to invest £37m in EV charging network
- New scheme drops installed home charger cost by 75 per cent
- Government scheme will also boost availability of public chargers
- Scheme announced as Nissan prepares to begin LEAF production at Sunderland

Electric mobility has taken another huge leap forward thanks to significant investment in the UK’s charging network that will make it easier than ever to own and run an electric car.

As part of the £37m scheme, the UK Government has announced that it will contribute 75% to the cost of an installed charger at a home address anywhere in the UK. As well as the home charging bonus, the Government has announced some other major benefits for the entire charging network.

Working with local authorities, the new scheme will see a 75% contribution to the cost of installing public chargers such as rapid chargers – which can charge a LEAF to 80% in just 20 minutes – and also other on-street public chargers. In addition, Government is contributing 75% towards the cost of installing charging points at railway stations, while any public sector organisation – such as the police, NHS, local government – wanting an on-site charging point will now have the installation carried out for free.

The announcement comes with production of the 100% electric Nissan LEAF and a new lithium-ion battery plant set to launch at the company’s record-breaking Sunderland Plant this spring.

John Martin, Nissan’s Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe, said: “We are at a crossroads in personal mobility. Nissan is proudly pioneering zero emission technology through our UK operations and we are delighted that the UK Government shares our commitment to the transport of the future.

“Electric vehicles will become a way of life only if the charging infrastructure is in place and Governments are committed to helping drivers to make the switch. We know this from the experiences of Nissan LEAF drivers in countries like Norway where a network of charge points is already in place.

“Manufacturing lithium-ion batteries and the 100% electric Nissan LEAF at our Sunderland Plant has already put the UK at the forefront of electric vehicle technology. This announcement has the potential to make the UK a global leader in EV infrastructure and in turn to accelerate the introduction of electric vehicles in Britain.”

Nissan has developed its own Quick Charger technology and has already donated 86 of these free of charge to the UK to help kick-start the country’s charging network.

For further information please contact the Nissan Press Office

Contact:

Paul James

Nissan Sunderland Plant

Senior Press Officer
+ 44 (0) 191 418 4197

[email protected]

Katherine Zachary

Nissan International

Senior Manager Corporate Affairs and Zero-Emissions Communications

+41 (0) 218225128

[email protected]

Category: Sustainability
Under: EV|Nissan|charging infrastructure|UK
3 comments:

Comments

Submitted by BMW mechanic (not verified) on Mon, 2013-02-25 11:21.

As we all know that it now it is a trend to have an electric vehicle. In every household we find an electric vehicle. It has got many advantages like there is less consumption of fuel in comparison to the other vehicles. But electric vehicles have also some disadvantages like it requires a high charging time. So it is tough for U.K. government to develop the infrastructure required for the charging and it is also quite costly. So it has joined hands with Nissan to manufacture charging facilities.

Submitted by Cesar (not verified) on Fri, 2013-03-15 02:15.

Now let's talk about dirty little secert of today's electric car: replacing the batteries. Batteries lose their ability to charge over time. Real world use will wear out the battery pack that powers an electric vehicle, forcing you to replace it after roughly 6-7 years. The cost for a new battery pack? The same as a brand new engine ($6,000-$8,000). Imagine if every individual car on the road dumped thousands of pounds of batteries into landfills everyefbbbf few years? No thank you.

Submitted by webmaster on Tue, 2013-04-23 11:16.

Dear Cesar,

Thank you for your comment. The batteries used by Renault and Nissan in their electric vehicles are designed to last for the life of the cars.

Battery lifespan is not an issue for Renault customers because customers rent the battery. The battery rental contract ensures that the battery is fully operational and has at least 75% of its initial capacity. The battery is replaced if either criterion is not met.

Nissan has just announced a battery rental scheme for buyers of the second-generation LEAF in the majority of European markets. See Nissan’s press release here.

Nissan will provide additional reassurance over and above the five-year warranty it offers all customers who do not have the battery lease option. It has also recently introduced a “state of health” addition to its warranty, which guarantees that the battery will have at least 9 out of the 12 dashboard “bars” of capacity remaining after five years. The battery data Nissan has from Europe in the first two years of Nissan LEAF, the world’s best-selling electric vehicle, on the market is excellent and has confirmed Nissan’s confidence in its battery technology.

When Renault and Nissan’s batteries reach their end-of-life, the batteries are reused in non-automotive applications or completely recycled.

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Nissan welcomes the UK government's commitment to electric vehicle charging infrastructure

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