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Roving Recharge Truck from Nissan to Aid Dead Electric Cars

 
1,914 views Jun 6, 2011
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2011 Nissan Leaf, Nashville, October 2010

2011 Nissan Leaf, Nashville, October 2010

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Japanese electric car owners in eastern Prefecture of Kanagawa can now drive easy without the fear of being stranded with a flat battery pack thanks to a new pilot project being run between Nissan Japan and the Japan Automobile Federation - the Japanese equivalent of the AAA.

Stranded owners of cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2012 Mitsubishi i will be able to ring for assistance when their car runs out of juice in the form of a small pickup truck carrying a portable level 3 rapid charger.

Portable diesel-powered 440-Volt quick charger for Nissan Leaf electric cars

Portable diesel-powered 440-Volt quick charger for Nissan Leaf electric cars

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The rapid charger - similar to ones being installed in Washington and Oregon - is capable of recharging the 2011 Nissan Leaf from empty to 80% full in around 20 minutes. Normally chargers this powerful require special high-power electrical wiring and are expected to be installed everywhere from public parking garages through to gas-stations worldwide, but this particular rapid-charger is powered by a diesel-driven generator. 

For anyone unlucky enough to run out of charge the (hardly-new) idea of a rescue truck coming to their aid with a rapid-charger is probably extremely welcome, but given the number of electric cars on the road we’re wondering if it is overkill. 

After all, most electric cars get plugged in overnight, meaning they always have a full-charge every morning. Since most consumers - regardless of country - are likely to drive less than the 70-100 mile range offered by most electric cars

50 Kw Leaf Charger

50 Kw Leaf Charger

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Add to that the large public network of level 3 rapid chargers available in Japan, and we’re wondering why the truck is even needed at all, especially when some brave Dutch electric car enthusiasts proved that in the most dire of cases you can even recharge a Leaf by towing it. 

Naturally, mistakes happen and people will forget to plug in at some point, but given the number of warnings you’d have to ignore in order to run completely flat we have to admit to losing a little sympathy with those who push on forward to the dreaded ‘turtle mode’.

[Nissan via Panorient News]


 





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Comments (6)

  1. fb_100000005296979 avatar Kent Beuchert Posted: 6/6/2011 1:59pm PDT

    Maybe overkill, but we've had need for mobile vehicles to bring a couple of gallons of gas to drivers who've run out for about 100 years now, and still need them.
     
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  2. By Thalass Posted: 6/6/2011 5:49pm PDT

    There will always be stupid people around to use this kind of service.
     
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  3. By jeffhre Posted: 6/7/2011 7:28am PDT

    With a fleet of well over 230 million ICE's on the road, every thing is possible. With only a few EV's on the road there is no comparison.
    The public charges now on the roads are rarely being used. I'd imagine this will end up being the same and the trucks demise will ultimately be from old age and not over use.
     
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  4. By  Tom Moloughney Posted: 6/7/2011 7:46am PDT

    I'd imagine they will have to charge a lot of money for this service. The cost of the equipment alone is staggering and then couple that with the fact that they could probably only do a few charges a day with the travel time between cars and all. I can't see it costing less than $250.00 for the $2.50 in electric they'll be providing. Even then they probably won't ever break even on the investment
     
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  5. By Noel Park Posted: 6/7/2011 12:25pm PDT

    Diesel fumes from the truck and diesel fumes from the gen-set. Priceless!
     
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  6. By Plugged in SD Posted: 6/7/2011 9:44pm PDT

    This article is incorrect...using terminology from the 90's. Present day...there is NO "Level 3" charging...either in AC or DC. The correct terminology is DC Fast Charge. The US is looking at establishing 3 levels of AC and DC charging. What is described here is the proposed Level 2 of DC Fast Charge. There is currently no level 3 technology in development for either AC or DC charging. Please check with the Society of Automotive Engineers SAE J1772 Committee for standards for vehicle connectors for more detailed information and current terminology.
     
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