City of Toyota to Construct Charging Stations for Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles

Japan's city of Toyota, in Aichi Prefecture, announced on September 30, 2009, that it would place an order for constructing several charging stations for plug-in hybrid vehicles around the city. The stations will have solar panels on their roofs to generate power and are planned be operating from April 2010 onwards.

The city government aims to install the charging stations in parking lots at the city hall, at its branch offices, and near the Toyotashi Station towards creating a city where cars run on renewable energy. The city, home to Toyota Motor Corp., released its "Hybrid City Toyota Plan" in April 2009, after it was selected as one of the model environmental cities by the Japanese government earlier in January 2009. Construction of the charging stations is part of this plan.

The stations are equipped with battery cells to allow the charging of vehicles at night, which will also allow them to be used in case of power failures during emergencies, while surplus power will be used at adjoining facilities or sold to the power company.

Toyota City official website
http://www.city.toyota.aichi.jp/e/

Posted: 2010/02/27 06:00:15 AM