Japan is preparing for Plug-charging electric vehicles expected to advent in the coming year, and is planning to build hundreds of "fast charge" stations and other infrastructure to facilitate the use of these electric vehicles.
Japanese drivers will be the first to use he battery-powered cars provided by large auto manufacturers in the world. Upgrading of the power system supported by the government, car manufacturers and power utility companies is intended to ease people's concerns of convenience of and mileage of electric vehicle, and promote the rapid adoption of electric vehicles.
Tokyo Electric Power Group Corporation (Tokyo Electric Power) responsible for the supply of electricity utility for Japan's capital area said it has developed rechargeable equipment, which provide adequate electricity for a small electric vehicles to travel 40 kilometers, a substantial progress than the current experimental system. The company said, 10 minutes’ charging can support 60 km traveling for a electric vehicles.
As a major advocator of Electric vehicles, together with Mitsubishi Motors (Mitsubishi Motors), Subaru (Subaru), this company has tested the charging equipment of a value of 4 million yen (about 36,500 U.S. dollars)and hope this equipment can be installed in supermarket and other public places. Mitsubishi and Subaru will first produce Plug rechargeable electric vehicles in 2009 and 2010.
Tokyo Electric Power Company said: "We participate the promotion of electric vehicles with a purpose of selling electricity at night." It noted that most drivers will use the common outlet for the family car charging in the company's non-peak time, "But this way is beneficial to the community."
Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo plans to have at least 3,000 electric vehicles drive on the road within five years. The county has promised to provide 150 fast charging stations. Japan's central government expressed its support for the technology. In the next month, it will accept applications from some cities and towns, choose the next-generation "model regions" of vehicle infrastructures. The project will involves installation of paid parking lots, supermarket and restaurants chains for free use of drivers.
The Government also plans to encourage private businesses to provide driving discount to electric vehicle drivers, including all the services from parking to insurance and loans. It is vigorously promoting the recently privatized Japan Post (Japan Post) to change its 21,000 distribution fleet into electric vehicles.
Japanese Prime Minister Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda (Yasuo Fukuda) hope that by 2020, half of the new cars in Japan will be driven by non-gasoline energy. Japan has promised in this year's Group of Eight (G8) summit that it would reduce the total carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent to 80 percent before 2050. |
Power Technology 
