New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
EV Quick Charger network help from Nissan
Nissan is to provide 400 Quick Charge (QC) stations to help establish a Europe-wide Electric Vehicle (EV) network. They will be provided free of charge — monitarily, that is — and will be capable of charging a compatible EV from empty to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.Countries across Europe have been asked to pitch for a slice of the QC network and the best ‘bids’ will win an allocation. In the UK, Nissan has asked for 65 stations which would be strategically located at selected service stations along the motorway network, creating a ‘pathway’ on major routes across the UK. Initial contact has already been made with the three largest motorway service station chains which have a total of 100 stations across the country. In addition, QCs would be located in some city centres and other key locations like airports.
Nissan currently has a network of 32 EV dealers, 26 of which already have a QC installed. The remaining six dealers will be the first in the UK to install these new smaller units. The total number of dealers with QCs is expected to be 150 by the end of 2012, in plenty of time for the introduction of Nissan’s electric version of the NV200 in 2013.Nissan’s new smaller Quick Chargers are engineered to the CHAdeMo (Charge to Move) standard and can deliver up to 50kW of high voltage DC electricity. CHAdeMO was developed by a coalition of Japanese companies including Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries. Nissan’s QCs, therefore, can be used not just by drivers of Nissan’s current EV offering, the LEAF, but also to charge EVs from Mitsubishi, Citroën and Peugeot.
The QC stations are also AC-ready to support EVs from Alliance partner Renault — the Kangoo Z.E. is available in the UK now — designed to 43kW AC quick charge standards. The Alliance is actively promoting infrastructure deployment based on an AC-DC Mix Quick Charger strategy.
