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The first EV rapid charger from TEPCO Tokyo Electric Power Company was installed on the Tokyo Metropolitan Area Expressway system on October 10th. The installation is at the Daikoku parking area in Kanagawa Prefecture conveniently situated between Haneda Airport and the Yokohama Bay Bridge. First year charging will be free of charge. A second rapid charger will be installed at the end of October at the Heiwajima Parking Area which together with the Daikoku PA will cover both possible routes along the busy Yokohama-Kawasaki-Tokyo Expressway route. Further installations are planned depending on EV progress.

Both the Mitsubishi iMiEV, first 1,000 production rollout 2009 and Subaru R1e have separate high speed charge ports allowing 80% battery charge in 10-15 minutes.

Good Luck
Andrew

Link to Press Announcement in Japanese.

http://www.shutoko.jp/company/press/h20/1008.html

Interesting! Here is the page (http://tinyurl.com/4ksrtp) translated with Google Translator.

Hi Andrew:

___Free for the first year? Wow!!!

___Have you any idea what they will be charging after the first year promotion? $0.30 USD/kWh maybe?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Sorry Wayne, no further information about pricing as yet.

The installation of rapid chargers along the expressway system which has Parking areas every 20 miles certainly will increase the effective useable range. If a 15minute recharge can get a further 80miles, then a sedate 800mile, 12hour trip is possible. These 4C-6C charge rates are trivial for Lithium ion batteries.

There are still some issues for charge point operation in Japan as only the electric utilities are allowed to sell electricity. As it cannot be resold, a major coin parking company, Park24 which has installed some chargers (household power levels) are allowing free charging. So public charging will be free until TEPCO and other utilities can figure how to charge for it.

Kanagawa Prefecture Government plan for the promotion of EVs (recent link in English)

http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/osirase/taikisuisitu/car/04ev/0411/housaku-eiyaku.pdf

Good Luck
Andrew

Hi Andrew:

___Thank you for your excellent input as always!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

This looks cool. Thanks for sharing the story. Hopefully we'll see developments like this in NA where we have no mass transit and have to use cars for the foreseeable future.

Hi

Following on the installation on the Tokyo Expressway, a fast charger (TEPCO, 50kw) has just being installed on the Osaka, Hanshin Expressway system. There was some nice pictures on the link below that you might find interesting.

http://www.jttk.zaq.ne.jp/oklahoma/nakashima_pa/

Good Luck
Andrew

Thanks again, interesting to see what's going on over there.

Maybe for me to fulfill my dream of owning a viable electric car, I'll have to wait until we live in Japan.

Thanks again, interesting to see what's going on over there.

Maybe for me to fulfill my dream of owning a viable electric car, I'll have to wait until we live in Japan.

Even in Japan it will probably be another year before being able to buy for non-commercial customers. But there is a company in Yokohama which rents EVs and hybrids, the only EV they have at the moment is the Girasole EV, 500Yen/30 minutes. I guess that it will be possible to rent a MiEV from them when it comes out in July, 2009. You might keep it in mind the next time you are there.

Here is the link: (Japanese only)
http://www.ecocar-koei.com/

Good Luck
Andrew

Even in Japan it will probably be another year before being able to buy for non-commercial customers. But there is a company in Yokohama which rents EVs and hybrids, the only EV they have at the moment is the Girasole EV, 500Yen/30 minutes. I guess that it will be possible to rent a MiEV from them when it comes out in July, 2009. You might keep it in mind the next time you are there.

Here is the link: (Japanese only)
http://www.ecocar-koei.com/

Good Luck
Andrew

Cool, My wifes sister lives in Yokohama. We'll have to try and check that out the next time we're down there.

We saw quite a few of those gas powered Mitsubishi's the last time we were down. Smart looking cars which I hope I fit in.

Thanks again for the info.