The carmaker has partnered with Circutor, DBT, Efacec, Endesa and Siemens, forming a partnership which it said it expects to more than halve the cost of the ChaDeMo quick chargers to less than £9,000 (€10,000).

In turn, this would make the technology more accessible to small businesses, who could install a charger as an additional revenue stream. With a reduction in cost quick chargers could total thousands across Europe by the end of 2012, and tens of thousands by the end of 2015, Nissan claimed.

Toshiyuki Shiga, Nissan COO, added: ‘With a significant number of QCs available across Europe, EV owners who need to drive longer distances will be able to do so with confidence, knowing they will be able to recharge no matter where they go, which we believe is essential for the mass adoption of EVs.’