Nissan is working in conjunction with Kansai University in Japan to develop a new charger to help resolve one of the electric Leafs biggest fallbacks: long charging times. The two resources are saying that they’ve found a way to charge the battery cells in the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi iMiEV in just ten minutes. To date, a full charge can take up to eight hours in most Electric Vehicles (EVs).
Batteries charged using the updated system were complete in ten minutes, with no significant effect on storage capacity or voltage, the reports said
According to the New York Daily news, the new charger can fill up the Nissan Leaf' and Mitsubishi (News - Alert) iMiEV battery cells in around 10 minutes. The news sounds great; however researchers say that the new technology won’t be on the market for at least another ten years.
Nissan and Japan’s Kansai University have created the necessary technology to charge the batteries in the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi iMiEV in a record time of ten minutes. Researchers are saying the new quick charging technology could have a big impact on the EV (Electric Vehicle) industry in its entirety.
The findings, reported by Nikkei news agency, represent a quantum leap forward in public acceptance of electric vehicles
Researchers at Kansai University and Nissan have apparently figured out how to boost the charging rates by changing the composition of the capacitor inside the charging unit, resulting in much shorter charging times.
Just last week, a company named ECOtality, a major installer of EV infrastructure, also got certification for its fast DC charger, making it the first supplier to install a 30-minute charging station.
Until the 10-minute system arrives, the thought of filling up on electric fuel still isn’t practical for long-distance travel. Although it could take a decade to commercialize the new technology, this significant breakthrough of shorter charging times could really boost the public’s perception of EVs.
Nissan has also launched a new fast charger in Japan that costs less than $13,015, half the price of its previous charging unit. The new model is almost half the size in volume than previous versions, and can charge electric vehicles from multiple automakers, Nissan said.
Edited by
Jennifer Russell
