Installed as a collaboration between Ecotricity and Nissan and Renault UK, the chargers feature AC charging cables compatible with the Renault ZOE and DC cables compatible with the Nissan LEAF’s rapid charge port.

In both cases, the units offer an 80% charge in around 30 minutes. The network has extended along major routes, connecting the south coast of England with Glasgow and Edinburgh, and London with West Wales, via motorway services and city centre IKEA stores.

Membership and access is free in the UK and a growing number of other vehicles – including the Mitsubishi/PSA city cars, Nissan’s e-NV200 van and the Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid are also compatible.

Nissan said the Europe-wide project, run with other partners across the region, was dramatically improving uptake. In Norway, electric vehicle traffic on the E18 highway increased eight fold during an 18 month period after the CHAdeMo unit was installed.

Director of electric vehicles, Nissan Europe, Jean Pierre Diernaz commented: ‘This is a huge landmark for zero-emission mobility, allowing a range of EVs, including the Nissan LEAF and forthcoming Nissan e-NV200 electric van, to quickly extend their journeys. The UK charging network is expanding rapidly and through our partner Ecotricity, customers are able to “refuel” their car for free with wind and solar generated electricity.’