Mazda Demios Electric begun testing in Japan

Tagged with: electric cars Mazda 2 electric Solar charging stations

The Japanese manufacturer Mazda together with Think Global, EnerDel, and Itochu (Japanese conglomerate), together with others is testing electric cars which are powered by solar-generated electricity. The Mazda Demios is the car chosen for the tests.

The testing is in Tsukuba City, Japan, which is near Tokyo.

The Mazda Demios know as a Mazda 2 outside japan, has got all wheels powered by electric motors built into the trains. The trains are made by Think. The batteries comes from EnerDel lithium ion batteries. EnerDel is the first and only US domestic manufacturer of commercial-scale automotive-grade lithium-ion battery systems.

I don’t know if the The H240 is the battery fitted in the Mazda, but it’s been designed specifically for integration into a Toyota Prius to demonstrate complete integration into an existing vehicle, and was found to provide higher power capability and greater electric-only range than the current NiMH battery.

Solar panels which are attached to stationary grid-storage units are designed by EnerDel. Those will also have rapid-charging stations for the all-electric cars. Those static storage units will be storing electricity from solar panels.

The charging stations will use DC current to facilitate a quick charge. The charging of vehicles will be almost entirely supplied by those solar-generated electricity. The residents of Tsukuba City will have smart cards that grant them access to the cars and charging stations, track the charges and bill them for their use.

Participating organizations in the project include: