Portland General Electric (PGE) and NEC Corp. say they have opened North America's first public-use, quick-charge station for electric vehicles.
The station was awarded public-use certification by the City of Portland following the successful installation and testing of the station, manufactured by Takasago Ltd., a subsidiary of NEC, at PGE's headquarters. The Takasago Rapid Charging Station is designed for recharging electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries and requires only 20 to 30 minutes to recharge a battery to 80% of full strength, the companies say.
PGE and NEC officially opened the quick-charge station with Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who charged an all-electric Nissan LEAF, during a two-day LEAF test-drive event at PGE. Portland and the state of Oregon have been designated as top-tier launch markets for the Nissan LEAF when it goes on sale in the U.S. in December.
The Takasago Rapid Charging Station complies with the “CHAdeMO,” a global electric-vehicle charging standard developed in Japan. The station provides power output of 50 kW (50 V-500 V, 0-125 A) and supports power input of AC 200 V ± 30 V.
PGE's alliance partner, Portland State University, and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium will document the acquisition, installation, certification and testing procedures for this charger and release its findings in September.
SOURCES: Portland General Electric, NEC Corp.
