Nissan leads Rapid Charge EV Network project for UK
Fri 25 October 2013
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In a European first, Nissan is leading an EC-backed consortium which aims to establish a rapid charging network for electric vehicles (EVs) throughout the UK. The Rapid Charge Network (RCN) project will see 74 multi-standard rapid chargers installed across 700 miles of the country’s major road network. The project aims to ensure than any electric vehicle can be recharged in under 30 minutes.
As well as leaders Nissan, the RCN Consortium includes Renault, BMW and Volkswagen and network experts Ireland's ESB and Zero Carbon Futures - plus the transport research expertise of Newcastle University.
When complete, RCN will provide EV-friendly links to five seaports and five international airports, as well as a number of major cities, including Stranraer, Liverpool, Holyhead, Birmingham, Felixstowe, Leeds and Kingston upon Hull.
The rapid chargers being deployed will be the first state-of-the-art multi-standard units in public operation in Europe. This will ensure that every EV owner in the country can undertake long journeys secure in the knowledge that they will never be far from a rapid charger no matter what make of car they drive. The units are compatible with cars using 44kW DC CCS, 44 kW DC Chademo or 43 kW AC systems.
Installation of the rapid chargers is due to be completed by the end of 2014.
The RCN project is one of 30 priority transport projects across Europe identified by the Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T). The Projects were chosen according to the added value they offer to the European Community and their contribution to the sustainable development of transport systems. They include rail, mixed rail-road, road and inland waterway projects, as well as a ‘motorways of the sea' scheme.
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