Will Nissan power the city of the future?

A Nissan Cube EV in San Diego

I can imagine a day when people in a futuristic city busily buzz through town in silent electric vehicles - some on their way to work, others heading to the grocery store, and some zipping to the mall to buy more silver jumpsuits (which we’ll all be wearing by the time this day comes).

Since it seems everyone is developing an electric vehicle (EV) or hyping up their gas-electric hybrids these days, I can only assume we’ll be led into a future where the EV is mainstream and gas-powered cars are as outdated as steam locomotives. 

But while so many carmakers seem to be working on electric vehicles, very few are working on places to charge them.

Enter Nissan, who is in a partnership to turn San Diego into this city of the future.

Okay, that’s a little bit of a stretch of the imagination, but Nissan is partnering with San Diego Gas and Electric to develop and promote an EV charging network in San Diego.  

The automaker will help the power company acquire 100 electric vehicles and will work with agencies and city departments to add infrastructure that will include 220-volt charging stations and the required surge protectors that will make San Diego plug-in ready.

Nissan also said they will work with the city to find locations that can accommodate 440-volt fast-charging stations (imagine the warning label on that outlet!). A fast-charging station can recharge the battery of Nissan’s EV in 26 minutes - ample time to run into the grocery store and come back to a fully charged car. 

Perhaps my vision of a futuristic city of electric vehicles isn’t quite as far away as I once thought. If San Diego is any indication, maybe it’s time for us all to look into buying those silver jumpsuits.

Assuming it was affordable, would you own an electric car if you could find ample places to charge it?

-tgriffith

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