Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Three Dutchmen Shirk Range Anxiety, Drive Leaf 779 Miles in 24 Hours

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Michiel Langezaal, Wouter Robers, and hirsute Lars Bech work for Epyon Power, a Netherlands-based concern developing fast-charging stations for electric vehicles. They are also, in grand Dutch tradition, reserved on the outside with a well of boundless nuttiness within. As such, they decided to see how far they could drive a Nissan Leaf in 24 hours by utilizing Holland’s network of fast-charging stations along the highways.

By the end of the journey, they had traveled 1254 kilometers, or 779.2 miles. For those who don’t obsess over the vagaries of charging types, Level 1 charging is standard U.S. household current, allowing a Chevy Volt’s battery pack to be charged overnight. With 240 volts, Level 2 charging will refill a depleted Tesla Roadster or Leaf in about the same amount of time. Nissan claims that CHAdeMO (aka Level 3) charging (500 volts) will restore an empty Leaf to 80-percent capacity in about a half-hour. Nissan also warns, however, that repetitive fast-charging could damage the Leaf’s lithium-ion pack. Fortunately, the Dutch trio seemed to encounter no failures or fiascos on their run, though we suppose that depends on your feelings about the Chicken Dance.

Sent with Reeder

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