Japan now has more EV charging stations than gas stations

Source: By Justin McCurry, London Guardian • Posted: Thursday, May 12, 2016

Japan has more electric-car charging stations than gas stations, according to a recent survey by Nissan Motor Co.

The Japanese government offers subsidies for those buying low-emissions vehicles, and that has spawned a network of public and private charging stations. Japanese automaker Nissan, which makes the pure battery-electric Leaf, found more than 40,000 electric charging stations nationwide compared with fewer than 35,000 gasoline stations.

In the United States, there are only 9,000 public charging stations but 114,500 filling stations.

“An important element of the continued market growth is the development of the charging infrastructure,” Joseph Peter, Nissan’s chief financial officer, told analysts, according to Bloomberg.

The Nissan figures included charging stations in private garages, which are often used by a single person. But industry experts have predicted that could change as more private owners rent out their charging stations for wider use.

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