BELLEVUE, Washington — Bellevue Nissan outside of Seattle opened a new electric-vehicle charging depot for the Nissan Leaf on Tuesday, moving to the forefront of dealerships set on improving the charging infrastructure in the U.S.

"I want to congratulate Bellevue Nissan on its expansion and for creating Washington's first electric-vehicle charging depot," said Governor Jay Inslee, in a statement. "These fast-charging stations are the backbone of our future transportation infrastructure."

The dealership depot features six fast-charging stations, the largest group of fast chargers at any dealership in America, according to Nissan.

Fast chargers can charge a 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.

The chargers 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.

The EPA says the Leaf has a range of 84 miles on a full charge.

The Leaf competes with a growing list of electric vehicles, including the Chevrolet Spark EV, Fiat 500e and Kia Soul EV.

The electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the U.S. is growing. The U.S. Department of Energy says there are 9,250 public electric stations in the U.S. with 23,293 charging outlets.

Edmunds says: No doubt others will copy this pioneering dealership.