As has already been said numerous times on this blog, one of the biggest speed bumps along the the road to widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption and success is the timely installation of the necessary electrical charging infrastructure that will play a key role in supporting the release of thousands of EVs for sale in late 2010/early 2011. While the installation of a sufficient number of charging stations may or may not be met in time to support an impending EV invasion, a problem of a different sort still plagues the EV and one of its most touted attributes; namely its environmental friendliness.
EVs’ ‘Green Contradiction’
Though EVs do not release emissions directly when driven, they do produce greenhouse gases indirectly via the dirty sources of electrical production they use when they are plugged in to be charged. While studies have shown that indirect EV CO2 emissions are far less per mile traveled than a gasoline-powered engine (about 50-60%), they still contain CO2 and many times a lot of other nasty things such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic (courtesy of your local coal-fired power plant). Given these circumstances, I suppose the argument could be made by some that emissions from a coal-fired power plant are in many ways worse than those from a tailpipe seeing as not only will they contribute to global warming, but they also further endanger our health by polluting the air, water, and soil. That’s for another discussion though.
Toyota’s Investment/Interests
A company that has a great interest in addressing both the various logistical and environmental problems facing the future of EVs and plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) is of course Toyota. Being the largest manufacturer and seller of hybrid vehicles, and soon to be PHEVs and EVs as well, Toyota has a lot to gain with the adoption and success of EVs; and a lot to lose if they fail. Like many other EV-producing car companies, Toyota has come to the conclusion that the only way that the necessary EV infrastructure is going to be implemented is by doing it themselves. But unlike its competitors, Toyota is doing more than simply installing some charging ports.
One of Toyota’s ‘non-vehicle’ companies Toyota Industries Corp. is currently developing solar-powered charging stations for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that will charge vehicle batteries ‘cleanly’ as well as be sources of power for the grid. The stations will be grid connected and also have a 8.2 kWh storage battery in order to provide power during nighttime and/or inclement weather conditions when solar power production is minimal. The charging output of each station is 3.2 kW at 200v when running solely on grid power and 1.5kW at 100 v when running on solar alone. During times when no cars are charging and/or there is a surplus of power, the station will feed the extra electricity back into the grid; making it a mini power plant of sorts.
21 of the solar-powered charging stations will be installed at 11 different locations in Toyota City by the local government. There are no announced plans to take the program further than the initial trial at Toyota City, but lets hope they’re a success and Toyota puts more elsewhere. i.e. the U.S.
The Good: A potential 100% emission free power source for EV charging. More charging infrastructure.
The Bad: Only a trial run of 21 stations in a small area of Japan. Stations would require much more space than a charging post. Power source is intermittent and unpredictable.
The Bottom-Line: A charging station that not only addresses the need for more EV charging infrastructure, but attempts to offer a more environmentally-friendly means of charging EV batteries.
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