Japanese Consumers Warm Up To Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles that emit no toxic gases may no longer be simply an environmentally friendly option in Japan.

According to some senior industry executives, after the March 11 disasters, people here are becoming increasingly aware that a car with a fully charged battery can also be a significant help in transport and energy supply in times of crisis.

“After the disaster, the perception of electric cars is changing,” said Osamu Masuko, President of Mitsubishi Motors Corp., speaking at a panel discussion at IT trade show CEATEC Tuesday. His company provided 89 of its i-MiEV small electric cars to the Tohoku region, severely hit by the earthquake and tsunami in March, upon hearing that electric vehicles were in demand.

Mr. Masuko said at first he wondered exactly what help the i-MiEV, designed a small city commuter vehicle, could be in the devastated northeastern areas. However, he soon realized that many roads needed for trucks to refuel gasoline stations were blocked or damaged. But with power supplies restored relatively quickly, the electric vehicles were of great use to hospitals and local governments. “I think many people realized how important electricity is after the disasters,” Mr. Masuko said.

Toshiyuki Shiga, the chief operating officer at Nissan Motor Co., who also attended the panel, echoed Mr. Masuko’s understanding of the increased role for electric cars. Mr. Shiga said his company’s Leaf electric car can help ease worries about electricity shortages in time of blackouts: The electric hatchback can provide enough electricity to keep a household supplied with power for two days in a single discharge by using power in the battery installed in the car.

The electricity supply option is catching on. Mitsubishi Motors plans to add a function to provide power for use in some home appliances such as a rice cooker to its i-MiEV, while Nissan also aims to commercialize a power control system that enables the Leaf to supply home-use electricity.

But the March 11 disasters also exposed some troubling issues for the electric car industry. The nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant has seriously curtailed production of power using a technology that doesn’t emit greenhouse gases and, according to supporters at least, producers power more cheaply than by other means. If as a result of the nuclear crisis Japan turns toward greater use of traditional thermal power plants to generate electricity, such as coal-fired stations, the net result is that electric cars may not be as green and inexpensive as previously perceived.

[Read More from Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Tags: Disasters, Electric Vehicles, Japan

LEJ commits to construction of new plant

Lithium Energy Japan (LEJ) has decided to build a new Plant in Ritto City, Shiga Pref., Japan. The new Ritto plant will start production in early 2012. The new plant will produce 4.4 million cells a year, enough to power 50,000 of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation’s new-generation i-MiEV electric vehicles (EV). The total investment in plant and equipment will amount to 37.5 billion yen.

[Source & Read More: Lithium Energy Japan]

Tags: Japan, Lithium Energy Japan, Mitsubishi Motors

Japan mulls aid to Bolivia to secure lithium supply

The Japanese government plans to offer comprehensive an economic aid package to Bolivia in exchange for supplies of lithium for use in batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery-electric vehicles, The Nikkei newspaper reported today.

[Source & Read More: Green Car Advisor]

Tags: Bolivia, Japan, lithium

EnerDel selected for Japanese electric bus demo

Lithium-ion battery maker EnerDel announced today that it has been selected to provide the advanced, heavy duty battery systems used to power Japan’s first lithium-ion-powered electric bus. The vehicle, which is already complete and ready to roll, was converted by Tokyo R&D, and is scheduled to hit the streets on regular local routes in Toyama, a coastal city located on the Sea of Japan.

“Our battery systems were chosen on the basis of performance and flexibility and the fact that they can easily be configured to fit the challenging design requirements in the accessible, low-floor bus design that is becoming standard around the world,” said Naoki Ota, Chief Operating Officer for EnerDel. “We anticipate that medium and heavy-duty fleets are going to be one of the earliest and most important markets for this technology.”

[Source & Read More: EnerDel]

Tags: EnerDel, Japan

Japan EV makers, utility plan battery-charge stations

Three Japanese EV makers teamed up with the country’s largest power company Wednesday to study ways to build a grid of battery charging stations for zero-emission EVs. The four companies hope “to popularise fast-speed charge stations, which are absolutely essential in promoting EVs in Japan.”

Tags: Automobile, Electric car, Electric vehicle, Fuji Heavy Industries, Japan, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor, Subaru

Nissan’s new Leaf: An EV and charging stations too

Recognizing that consumers won’t go for battery-powered vehicles if supplying them with juice isn’t cheap and convenient, the company is working with electric utilities, private organizations and all levels of government to set up networks of charging stations. The Leaf is expected to go on sale in the U.S., Europe and Japan late next year.

Tags: Batteries, Battery, Business, Charging station, Electric vehicle, Electronics and Electrical, Energy, Japan, Juice, Nissan leaf, Power Supplies, Technology, Transportation, United States