'Voltageville' Gets First Public EV Rapid Charger in U.S.
Vacaville, Calif., nestled midway between San Francisco and Sacramento, just installed the first 50-kilowatt quick-charging station for electric vehicles in the country. Known as “Voltageville,” Vacaville has more electric car charging stations per capita than any other city in the U.S.
The DC quick-charge station was installed by Pacific Gas & Electric with a grant from the California Air Resources Board. PG&E has a Mitsubishi i-MiEV in its fleet and installed the charger in conjunction with the automaker to demonstrate the technology. The station charges the i-MiEV’s 16 kilowatt-hour battery pack to 80% capability in 30 minutes or 50% in about 10 minutes.
The station is in the city’s solar-powered EV parking lot, where electric cars can charge up through solar-powered stations.
The i-MiEV goes on sale in 2011, but Nissan will likely offer a compatible inlet for the DC quick charger with its all-electric 2011 Leaf. Until then, Mitsubishi’s EV is the only one that can utilize the station, further demonstrating the need for a standard connector for rapid charging.
Vacaville, Calif., Gets First Public Electric Car Rapid Charger in U.S. (Hybrid Cars)
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More than any other factor, quick charge stations will help make the electric car a success. For instance getting a fresh 50 miles on a Leaf with just a 10 minute charge is huge. Goodbye range anxiety...
I think AJ wrote this article. lol... I like how it describes Vacaville as "nestled..." opposed to saying that city in the boonies.
What kind of car is that in the foreground? The station wagons, not the RAV4s.
segfault,
those are Nissan R'Nessas.
havent seen the R'nessa outside the Japanese market though.