OREANDA-NEWS. Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee today officially opened a first-of-its-kind EV fast-charging depot at the new Bellevue Nissan outside Seattle. The fast-charging depot features six fast-charging stations – the largest group of fast chargers at any dealership in America.

Bellevue Nissan, formerly Nissan of the Eastside at Bellevue, is opening the new charging depot at their brand new dealership, which is also opening today. As one of the nation's top-selling Nissan LEAF dealers, Bellevue Nissan identified an opportunity to increase the availability of public charging for local electric vehicle drivers.

"I want to congratulate Bellevue Nissan on its expansion and for creating Washington's first electric vehicle charging depot," Governor Inslee said. "These fast-charging stations are the backbone of our future transportation infrastructure. Electric vehicles will help us clean our air, create more jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I've charted a course for action to grow the number of electric vehicles in Washington State from 10,000 on the road today, to 50,000 by 2020. Increased sales of electric cars and creating the charging infrastructure to support them, like what we're seeing here in Bellevue, will help us meet that goal."

With support from Nissan and NRG eVgo, the dealership is installing six fast chargers that can charge a 100-percent, all-electric Nissan LEAF from depleted to 80 percent full in less than 30 minutes. The chargers will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Since the all-electric LEAF went on sale in late 2010, we have been one of Nissan's top LEAF dealers," said Jimmy Kalie of Bellevue Nissan. "Now, we are leading the country in providing a fast-charging depot for those customers and other EV owners."

"Nissan is committed to doubling the number of quick chargers in the U.S. by next April, and we applaud Bellevue Nissan for installing this charging depot for LEAF drivers in the Seattle area," said Brendan Jones, Nissan's director of Electric Vehicle Sales and Infrastructure Deployment. "Bellevue Nissan is adding to the established infrastructure in the northwest to make driving an EV even more convenient and rewarding."

The new chargers will be networked by NRG eVgo, a nationwide provider of EV quick charging, and they will be accessible using the all-access EZ-Charge Card. They will be included in Nissan's "No Charge to Charge" program, which offers two years of no-cost public charging at select local stations with the purchase or lease of a new LEAF. More information on EZ-Charge and "No Charge to Charge" is available at ez-charge.com.

"NRG eVgo is proud to work with Nissan to expand the availability of fast charging in Washington State," said Glen Stancil, vice president of Strategic Market Development for NRG eVgo. "Fast-charging depots like this one, plus additional capability around the city, will give EV drivers the convenience they need to drive electric."