Toyota Develops Solar Charging Stations for EVs

Toyota Industries Corp. (TIC), the parent company of Toyota Motors, has laid plans to develop a solar charging station network throughout Toyota City in the Aichi Prefecture. Twenty-one stations in eleven locations are set to be built by April 2010 after which they will be thoroughly tested with Toyota’s very own Prius fleet.

The stations will be connected to the grid while receiving power generated from its 1.9 kW solar panels and stored in an 8.4 kWh battery. Additionally, the excess power generated can be used to operate other facilities in the system or sold to utility companies.

During the 41st Tokyo Motor Show late October of last year, TIC revealed its ambitions to make these charging stations work seamlessly with the developing charging infrastructure. Standardization is key cog in insuring that the transition for EVs and the like goes as smoothly as possible. Aside from its basic charging functions the charging stand has also been designed to cater to the average consumer. Thus it will support electronic billing and relay basic information such as usage conditions of the charging service and amount of power used.

Although it is a fairly small project at the present moment the success TIC hopes to bring will serve as a springboard from which projects of broader scope can be realized. Its innovation is matched only by its brilliance since it can spawn a new form of covered parking structures. Imagine a parking lot filled with solar charging stations such as these that simultaneously provide shaded parking and a full recharge for your electric car while you work or shop.

Granted this is not a revolutionary invention, but certainly be an imaginative convenience for the coming age of electric vehicles. TIC has also been working tirelessly to upgrade the Prius in time for testing. Some of the upgrades include: smaller onboard chargers with higher efficiency, reduced cooling device by two-thirds, and developing a DC-DC converter.