Fast chargers

[TEG]

Expect politics to halt DC charging and create postpone any useful network of chargers for over a year and then expect a good chance the L3 port on the LEAF to be incompatible. Nissan, here is another solid reason you blew it by removing the 6.6kw charger and going to the 3.3. Gen 1 LEAF owners are stuck with poor charging speed and no upgrade path.

I hope that you are wrong, but fear that you might be right.

 

[EricH]

I do not understand why utilities are not encouraging electric cars. The big need that I see is for chargers along major highways. At least in areas that I know, transmission lines are near the highways. Attaching a charger with a credit card reader should not be that expensive.

Or is the real explanation that most investors see today's short range batteries as only a short term problem with better batteries coming very soon.

1. "Utilities" is a very broad brush... several are very active in encouraging/facilitating EV's and infrastructure (I can't speak for much outside of California, but they are very active here).
2. "Transmission lines" (assuming you are thinking of the 220/500-volt lines that follow Interstate 10 between Arizona and Palm Springs) are hardly necessary to support roadside charging - even quick-charging. Most distribution circuits run at 4,000-12,000 volts or higher. If there is a gas station with a bank of soda/beer fridges in the mini-mart near the off-ramp, there is plenty of infrastructure for L2 charging and probably for some L3.

 

[thankyouOB]

I heard a SCE utility guy talk about EVs yesterday. And they are behind them.

ditto most utilities, as far as I can tell, especially mine--LADWP.

On the DC charger issue. There was also a Mitsubishi guy there talking and there model, with its lighter weight, smaller battery, is built around the idea that DC chargers will be abundant.
He fully endorses the chadmo standard.

The utility guy made his case around patriotism of getting off foreign oil and replacing it with battery-power built in America. He also noted that American manufacturers and foreign car builders are all coming out with EVs and some mix of hybrids. The all gasoline fleet is going away.

The utility guy described it as a slow evolution and said that CA and the other West Coast states will be big adopters.