Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi to Standardize Electric Car Recharging

by | Mar 15, 2010

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electric car charge recepticleTrying to spread adoption of electric cars, five major Japanese firms have agreed to set a unified standard for electric vehicle recharging stations.

First, the companies will address a Japanese national standard, then they will push for an international standard, reports Reuters.

The group is comprised of Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Fuji Heavy Industries and Tokyo Electric Power – Japan’s biggest utility.

Officially, the group is calling itself the “CHAdeMO Association.”

“CHAdeMO” is an abbreviation of “CHArge de MOve,” which translates to “charge for moving.” It also is a pun for “O cha demo ikaga desuka” in Japanese, which means “Let’s have a tea while charging.”

Symantics aside, the group started to come together last August when Nissan, Mitsubishi, Fuji and the utility started a preparatory committee. Later, Toyota joined the committee.

So far, 158 businesses and government bodies are expected to join the association. Businesses such as automakers, electric utilities, charger manufacturers and charging service providers are in the mix.

In other alternative vehicle charging news, Honda is touting its home solar hydrogen refueling station.

At so-called “fast-fill” public stations, such as several in Southern California, a hydrogen car can get a 240-mile charge in about five minutes.

But because those charging stations are so far and few between, Honda is working on home solar refueling that would give a smaller range of 30 miles over eight hours.

Honda leases 15 FCX Clarity hydrogen-powered vehicles in Southern California but plans to ramp up the numbers soon.

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