Toyota to release solar charger for electric vehicles

(PhysOrg.com) -- Toyota is developing a solar charging station for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, making a green technology even greener. It has also designed a battery charger for mounting inside an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid to recharge the storage batteries.

Toyota Industries Corporation's announcement follows similar press releases in August by Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Showa Shell Sekiyu KK.

Toyota's solar charging station will consist of solar cells capable of generating 100/200V of electricity. The station includes storage batteries to store the electricity generated until it is required to recharge electric vehicles. The station also has a communication facility to authenticate users' identification information, and to communicate the amount of charge and other data to a remote data center. The communication system is expected to use LANs and Mobile networks.

Earlier this year Toyota Industries unveiled a new public charging station for electric vehicles, which went on sale a few months ago at a cost of 450,000 Yen (around 4,600USD). Both the earlier public charging station and the new solar charging system were developed in collaboration with Nitto Kogyo Corporation.

A variety of charging station options is needed to address the potential range limitations of electric vehicles, and a significant network of charging stations will need to be deployed to make electric vehicles viable for longer distance travel. Virtually all major car manufacturers are planning to launch electric or plug-in hybrid cars starting next year.

Charging stations for electric cars are gradually becoming more widespread. In the UK the Department of Transport estimates there will be about two million electric vehicles by 2020. In the US, SolarCity and Rabbobank have created a partnership to provide free electric charging for electric vehicles traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles along Highway 101. SolarCity has also bought SolSource Energy, which is in the business of installing charging stations for electric cars.

Toyota made the announcement and exhibited the charging station and battery charger at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show being held from October 23 to November 4, 2009 at Makuhari Messe, in Chiba City, Japan. The solar charger is scheduled for release late next year or in 2011 at a price of several hundred thousand Yen.

Via: TechOn

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Royale

4 / 5 (4) Oct 27, 2009

I can't wait till the price on these electric vehicles starts to even out with combustion cars. People will have no excuse then. (Of course many schmucks will try making excuses anyway; but still, this is a step in the right direction.

vantomic

2.3 / 5 (3) Oct 27, 2009

when i first saw the article picture I thought they reinvented the water cooler...this was cool too though.

John_balls

4.4 / 5 (7) Oct 27, 2009

Agreed, I think we will be seeing a revolution in cars over the next 5 years. Pandoras box has been openened and as much as the saudis and any other countries that supports themselves on the selling of crude would like to shut it , it's too late , they can't.

Doug_Huffman

1 / 5 (2) Oct 27, 2009

Solar Constant = 1350 Watts meter^-2

Towchain

Which is why the Saudis want to be compensated when oil consumption drops.

http://www.nytime...oil.html

fixer

2.7 / 5 (3) Oct 27, 2009

Did they compensate us for being forced to buy their oil at extortionet prices?

plasticpower

3.7 / 5 (3) Oct 28, 2009

Looks like they will need to start thinking about investing in their future so they can export something useful other than oil for once.

bhiestand

3.5 / 5 (2) Oct 28, 2009

Agreed, I think we will be seeing a revolution in cars over the next 5 years. Pandoras box has been openened and as much as the saudis and any other countries that supports themselves on the selling of crude would like to shut it , it's too late , they can't.

Which is why the Saudis want to be compensated when oil consumption drops.

http://www.nytime...oil.html

Don't worry, production will drop sooner and faster than consumption will... The long-term implications are interesting, though.

jerryd

2 / 5 (1) Oct 31, 2009

This article is a joke. There is no need for a separate solar or other charger. Solar is converted to AC then the on board charger charges the batteries.

If it were to use a battery bank as they say it would need to be 150% larger than the EV battery was and that presently would be far more than $4500. Far better use the grid for the battery bank at no extra charge.

4 / 5 (1) Oct 31, 2009

Both the oil companies and the car companies don't want to do EV's. Chevron even bought the NiMH patents and forced Toyota, others to stop making EV size ones, limiting them to 10 amphr.

Car companies don't like them because there are few parts to wear out. An EV motor only has a couple bearings that wear out and doesn't need a transmission. Because of this their main profit, after market parts and replacement cars because they last so long.

The beauty of EV's is they are 3x's as eff as ICE's are. Mine take so little power that my electric bill barely shows it.

So the Saudi's, oil ands car companies are shaking in their boots as EV's will kill their hold on people, their business models, who with cheap RE can make their own fuel. And they are so simple, many people like me and probably you can build their own.

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