Vehicle manufacturers are almost resoundingly putting their faith in electric car technology – and now it seems that some are even willing to help speed up the establishment of electric car infrastructure.
According to reports in The Nikkei, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Estate Company plan to construct a network of up to 1,000 charging stations for electric cars. The stations will be located across Japan through a tie-up with municipalities, highway operators and others. Work is expected to be completed by 2012.
The firms are expected to call on other car manufacturers as well as major retailers and telecommunication firms to participate in the scheme. The total cost is expected to reach several billion yen.
The first step will see charging stations built on a highway between Tokyo and Nigata with electric cars to have access to high speed chargers at service areas, near highway ramps and in other areas. The charging points will allow an electric car to run for an average of around 100km on a 30minute charge.
From there, Mitsubishi plans to expand the charging network to cover roads connecting central Tokyo to the area’s airports including routes to western Japan.
It is expected that the charging stations will be available to both corporate and individual customers with drivers also being able to check the availability of the stations via wireless telecommunication systems.
By the end of 2009, Japan had just over 100 charging stations with around 60 per cent concentrated in Toyota with the number of electric cars totalling around 8,900.
