There are now more than 30 manufacturers of quick chargers, although you wouldn't know it if you live in the UK because there are only a few dozen in use so far, mostly supplied by my company Elektromotive to Charge Your Car in the North East.
That looks set to change as the early to market Japanese vehicle manufacturers push a new 'chameleon charger', a quick charger that combines 50kW DC charging on one side (for the Nissan Leaf) and 43kW AC charging on the other (for the new Renault Z.E. range).
As we get wiser about what type of charge point is suitable for which occasion, watch out for new networks of quick charge networks that can charge an electric car in under 30 minutes and in most cases fill up in under 20 minutes (as you will never be charging from empty). These will be used to provide confidence to would-be EV owners, as well as enabling extended range journeys and the end of so-called range anxiety.
Meanwhile, most people will continue to charge overnight and at work at 3kW to 7kW (standard or fast charging) and top-up using the emerging pay-as-you-go networks such as Charge Your Car.
That looks set to change as the early to market Japanese vehicle manufacturers push a new 'chameleon charger', a quick charger that combines 50kW DC charging on one side (for the Nissan Leaf) and 43kW AC charging on the other (for the new Renault Z.E. range).
As we get wiser about what type of charge point is suitable for which occasion, watch out for new networks of quick charge networks that can charge an electric car in under 30 minutes and in most cases fill up in under 20 minutes (as you will never be charging from empty). These will be used to provide confidence to would-be EV owners, as well as enabling extended range journeys and the end of so-called range anxiety.
Meanwhile, most people will continue to charge overnight and at work at 3kW to 7kW (standard or fast charging) and top-up using the emerging pay-as-you-go networks such as Charge Your Car.
