Japan's electric-car charging infrastructure is moving ahead at full-throttle. The world's third-largest economy now boasts more-electric car charging points than gas stations, according to a report in the Japan Times. The remarkable numbers behind the report come from Nissan who claim that Japan has 40,000 car chargers compared to 34,000 gas stations.
Nissan's figure has been criticized for including chargers in private homes alongside publically available fast-chargers, as well as the fact that gas stations include multiple pumps, handling more vehicles daily. However, the Japan Times does mention the growing concept of the sharing economy and websites like Airbnb, and the possibility that private individuals could share their chargers in the future.
The scale of Japan's success in developing such an extensive infrastructure for electric vehicles can be gauged through a comparison with the United States. The U.S. has an estimated 9,000 charging points and 114,500 gas stations, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Nissan Leaf drivers in Japan will be confident they can return home once they reach the limit of the battery-powered vehicle's 135 km range. In the U.S. however, they'll have to keep a careful eye on their battery level in case they end up marooned some place far from home.
*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)
