Japan now has more electric charging points than petrol stations

There are more electric car charging
points in Japan than petrol stations,
according to Nissan .
The Japanese car manufacturer
reports that the number of charging
points in the country has surged past
40,000, compared to fewer than
35,000 petrol stations.
However, this number does include
points in private homes, as well as the
nearly 3,000 publicly available rapid
charge points. But with the growth of
the sharing economy and the rise of
sites like PlugShare.com, owners of
private charging points will be able to
make them available to multiple users.
As this map highlights, there are a lot
of charging stations in Japan.
Image: ChargeMap
The importance of charging points
As the electric car market grows, the
infrastructure to support it has to
grow as well.
“An important element of the
continued market growth is the
development of the charging
infrastructure,” Joseph G. Peter, CFO
at Nissan, is quoted as telling analysts
in a conference call.
As the charging networks expands,
electric cars are set to become a
more viable option for drivers around
the world. Mary Barra, CEO of General
Motors, sees electric cars as one of
many technological advances set to
change the auto industry . She believes
this change will happen at an
unparalleled pace.
The industry is also reacting to these
infrastructure needs. Tesla has its own
network of high-speed charging points.
VW and BMW have also teamed up to
build a network of charging stations in
the US.
The news from Japan represents a
significant milestone. With generous
subsidies in some countries, new and
improved battery technologies and
charging points popping up all the
time, it may not be too long before
electric cars become commonplace.
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