BMW And Nissan Join Forces To Expand US Charging Network

BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf (Credit: BMW)

BMW and Nissan don’t usually team up, but the two are some of the larger advocates for electric cars. It makes sense then, that the automakers have joined forces to expand the DC Fast Charger network in the United States, one of the most fertile zones for EVs.

Through their combined efforts, the two companies have installed 120 new DC Fast Chargers in 19 different states. Unlike the networks set up by some automakers, these are accessible to the public. They’re meant to encourage people to take their electric cars out for long-distance drives, without the threat of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere weighing heavily in their mind.

In that spirit of being open to the public, Nissan and BMW made sure the chargers come with CHAdeMO and CCS (Combo) connectors. That means they can be plugged into a variety of EVs like the i3 and Leaf. Some other public chargers feature plugs that work with a limited number of vehicles, severely limiting their usefulness.

The new 50 kW stations have the ability to charge up 80 percent of a Nissan Leaf or BMW i3 battery in just 20 to 30 minutes. That’s considerably faster than a Level 2 240V charger, which at the moment is the most common kind available to the public in the United States. All 120 of the chargers are part of the Greenlots network and they do cost to use. BMW and Nissan drivers can locate them using a smartphone app or their car’s infotainment system.

The new DC Fast Chargers are located in strategic areas of California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. While this certainly doesn’t create a chain from coast to coast, it’s hopefully a start of a more expansive joint effort between BMW and Nissan to create a network that covers all 50 states.