Over the past few months we’ve seen an increase in the number of rapid charging stations getting installed in areas where the 2011 Nissan Leaf is being sold. 

So far, we’ve seen rapid charging stations get installed everywhere from Walgreens to Cracker Barrel and Washington state’s I-5, nicknamed the “Electric Highway”

Now a gas station in Tennessee has become what we think is the country’s first gas station to offer a chademo rapid-charging station alongside its gasoline pumps

Murphy Express Gas on Lee Highway in Chattanooga, Tennessee has installed the charger as part of a test program into electric car charging. If successful, it will install rapid charging stations at some of its other gas stations. 

Offered free of charge, the rapid charging station can recharge cars like the 2011/12 Nissan Leaf and 2012 Mitsubishi i to 80 percent full in under 30 minutes, but cannot be used with any other electric cars on the market at the present time. 

Although Tennessee may not be the first place most people would think of as being electric car friendly, the state is home to Nissan’s U.S. headquarters. As a consequence, we’ve seen a steady stream of charging stations get installed in the area to help encourage people to make the switch from gasoline to electric cars. 

While the concept of offering electric car charging stations at gas stations isn’t new, we think this is the first rapid charging station to open at a U.S. gas station. 

Or is it? If you know of another gas station complete with a rapid charging station let us know in the Comments below. 

+++++++++++

Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter.