Nissan will offer 2 years of free fast-charging when buying a new LEAF in the Netherlands

Nissan announced today a new partnership with Fastned to offer 2 years of free fast-charging when buying a new LEAF in the Netherlands. Fastned has an extensive 38-station network of fast charging stations all around the Netherlands, which hadn’t been really put to the test until now. The company says it is building a new station every week.

The deal is announced just before the launch of the 2016 LEAF, which is expected to arrive at dealerships around the world by the end of the year.

The free charging through Fastned is part of the “EV carefree package” which also includes “a replacement vehicle for holidays, a service package and a home charging system”. The package is now standard with every new LEAF purchase.

The free charging announcement combined with the 2016 LEAF’s new 30 kWh battery option, which allows for a 100+ miles range on a single charge, could convince some people to buy an electric vehicle for the first time. It would also help Nissan”s LEAF sales which have been lagging recently ahead of the launch of the 2016 version.

But the impact on sales in the Netherlands hasn’t been too noticeable compared to other markets like in the US where sales are down 56%. Sales are down only 5% versus the same period last year:

Nissan has a similar charging program in a few US markets called “No Charge to Charge” in partnership with EZ-Charge, though not all charging stations participate and the free charging is only for 30 minutes on DC charging and 60 minutes for the level 2 charging.