The deal between Nissan and Origin to supply recharging stations brings widespread use of electric vehicles closer to reality
By Gary Worrall | March 28, 2012
News of a deal between Nissan and Origin Energy for the supply and installation of recharging stations brings widespread use of electric vehicles closer to reality.
Under the deal, Origin Energy becomes the preferred electro mobility operator for purchasers of Nissan Leaf electric cars, providing charging stations to refuel the vehicles.
The Leaf goes on sale in June 2012 as the second full electric vehicle commercially available in Australia, following the release of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV in 2011.
While both are aimed at the passenger car market, the underpinning technology is easily adaptable to commercial vehicles. Mitsubishi Motors in Japan developed a light commercial version of the i-MiEV it showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show.
An all-electric prototype of the Fuso Canter light duty truck, a 3.5 tonne light rigid powered entirely by batteries, was also shown at the event.
Although virtually production-ready, the Canter was introduced as a prototype of technology, reinforcing Fuso’s role as the global hybrid centre for the Daimler Truck Group.
As revealed by the test drive of the initial release i-MiEV, the electric vehicle offers genuine benefits for urban operators, although with two significant drawbacks: the purchase price and the relatively limited range of around 150km.
The positives of the experience include the rapid acceleration, weight for weight, and excellent braking while the total lack of engine noise, other than a muted whine from the rear of the vehicle, can be off-putting at first and requires pedestrians and cyclists to pay more attention to traffic.
The rapid drain of the batteries during prolonged driving precludes the current generation of electric vehicles from point-point driving, however the introduction of public access recharging points will go some way to alleviating these concerns.
For this to be successful manufacturers will need to agree to supplying the same format plugs to ensure all vehicles can be recharged at a single point without need for adaptors.
The i-MiEV can be repowered with either a trickle charge, which takes close to eight hours to complete, or a fast charge that packs in 80 percent of the charge in just 15 minutes, ideal for driver rest periods.
Unlike refuelling conventional vans and trucks, electric vehicles do not need to be monitored during the recharging period. This allows drivers to plug into the recharge point and walk away, making a refuelling stop into a genuine work break.
Although full-electric vehicles are a long way, if ever, from replacing conventional or hybrid vehicles in Australia due to the long distances between cities, they will become more suitable for intra-urban work.