edatoakrun
Well-known member
Any Estonians care to comment on how well it's working?
Any Americans care to comment on how our driving experience would differ if we already currently had about the same (population adjusted) access to ~5,000 DC chargers?
Any Americans care to comment on how our driving experience would differ if we already currently had about the same (population adjusted) access to ~5,000 DC chargers?
http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2013/02/20/estonia-takes-the-lead-in-electric-car-infrastructure/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;Estonia takes the lead in electric car infrastructure
Estonia has become the first country in the world to have a complete national network of DC fast chargers.
The tiny eastern European country contracted ABB to install around 200 DC fast charger across the state, creating in the process, the highest concentration of fast chargers anywhere in Europe.
The chargers are installed in urban areas where the population exceeds 5,000, and on major roads throughout the country. On highways, the chargers are never more than 60km apart, meaning that EV drivers can have free rein to travel anywhere in the country without fear of running out of charge.
The fast chargers are part of a wider network of some 700 charging points across the country. It might sound surprising that such a small country, with a population of around 1.3 million should take the lead in building EV infrastructure, but Estonia has long had a reputation for being an early adopter of technology, as the birthplace of Skype and having enjoyed widespread Wi-fi access for years.
CHAdeMO standard
Because the charging stations are all fast chargers, the time it takes to ‘refuel’ an electric car is cut from the regular time of around eight hours to around 30 minutes. ABB’S Terra 51 DC fast chargers comply with CHAdeMO charging standard and can be used with DC of up to 50kW as well as alternating current (AC) of to 22kW.
ABB won the contract to install the chargers in 2011 and completed the work in just six months...