New analysis from Nissan says the number of electric car charging stations in the U.K. will overtake the number of fuel stations in the country by the year 2020.
The analysis takes into consideration the rise in electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.K. and the demise of gas stations in the country that has taken place over the past 40 years. Nissan says the number of fuel stations in the U.K. has dropped to 8,472 in 2015, down from 37,539 in 1970. By 2020, Nissan forecasts the number of fuel stations will drop to 7,870. At the same time, EV charging stations will grow to reach 7,900, up from about 4,100 locations this year. If EVs continue to accelerate in adoption, this could happen even sooner, the Japanese car manufacturer says.
Nissan points to data from Go Ultra Low, a joint government and car industry campaign to encourage the adoption of EVs, which says more than 115 electric cars were registered every day in the first quarter of 2016 in the U.K. Go Ultra Low also says that electrified cars will be the dominant form of propulsion for all new cars sold as early as 2027, with more than 1.3 million EVs registered each year.
“As electric vehicle sales take off, the charging infrastructure is keeping pace and paving the way for convenient all-electric driving,” says Edward Jones, EV manager for Nissan Motor. “Combine that with constant improvements in our battery performance, and we believe the tipping point for mass EV uptake is upon us. As with similar breakthrough technologies, the adoption of electric vehicles should follow an ‘S-curve’ of demand. A gradual uptake from early adopters accelerates to a groundswell of consumers buying electric vehicles just as they would any other powertrain.”
Nissan is continuing its own development in EVs after its successful launch of its LEAF EV that can travel 155 miles on a single charge. The company is working to improve the energy density in its lithium-ion batteries as well by using amorphous silicon monoxide, which could result in an increase in the driving range of Nissan EVs by 150%.
With fuel stations becoming scarcer, Nissan is looking at the fuel station of the future that will not be conventional in the slightest. Instead it will be a combination of vehicle-to-grid, battery storage, wireless charging, autonomous drive technology and over-the-air connectivity changing forever how energy is used and distributed across not just the U.K. but all of Europe. As a result of this future fuel station, these technologies will play a major role in reducing emissions harmful to the environment.
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