Mitsubishi has debuted a solar-powered charging station for electric vehicles at its US headquarters in Cypress, California, in Orange County south of Los Angeles. The solar system can charge up to four vehicles at a time, in as little as 25 minutes.
This is great news for potential buyers of plug-in electric cars, such as the new Mitsubishi i, which arrives in North America in November 2011. The lower case i is called the MiEv in Japan, where it’s been on sale for a while already.
The Mitsubishi solar system has three types of chargers with different voltages.
The standard 110v outlet, similar to what you use at home to recharge your smartphone or laptop, delivera a 100 percent charge in 22 hours. The 220v, similar to the heavy duty line that runs central air conditioning or the washer/dryer, can charge the vehicle in six hours. And the high octane level 3 CHAdeMO Quick Charger will charge to 80 percent battery capacity in 25 minutes. That’s on a sunny day, not if you live in a rainforest.
The charging station is powered by 96, 175W photovoltaic modules from Mitsubishi Electric. The DC Quick Charger used for the Cypress charging station is manufactured by the Eaton Corporation, and is the first-of-its-kind CHAdeMO Quick Charger certified for U.S. sale and public utility. Mitsubishi and Eaton are not saying how much it costs, so don’t rush out to buy one just yet. But you can pre-order an i.
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The charging station is situated near the junction of the all important California 405 and 605 freeways. Mitsubishi hope it will serve as a gateway for EV owners commuting between Los Angeles and Orange counties.
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