article thumbnail

Nissan and 4R Energy develop new EV charging system combining solar and Li-ion batteries

Green Car Congress

Nissan Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., With the new charging system, electricity is generated through solar cells installed at Nissan’s Global Headquarters, and is stored in lithium-ion batteries which are equivalent to four units of Nissan LEAFs.

Solar 246
article thumbnail

JRC study finds 8 metals for low-carbon energy technologies at risk of shortages; EVs, wind and solar, and lighting the applications of most concern

Green Car Congress

The applications, i.e. technologies, of particular concern as a result are electric vehicles, wind and solar energy, and lighting. The researchers investigated the sensitivity to these sources of uncertainty in depth for hybrid and electric vehicles and lighting. The JRC is the European Commission’s in-house science service.

Wind 290
article thumbnail

ARPA-E to award up to $5M to investigate extracting rare earth and other critical minerals from macroalgae

Green Car Congress

REEs and PGMs are critical in the manufacture of modern energy and national security technologies, including high-performance magnets required for wind turbines, electric vehicles, high-energy-density battery electric storage, high efficiency lighting, solar panels, and other technologies either core or ancillary to the renewable energy industry.

Wind 284
article thumbnail

Japan V2G demonstrator project using EVs as virtual power plant resource; METI funding

Green Car Congress

Seven companies—Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC); SHIZUOKA GAS Co., Demonstrator Project sites will include the Mitsubishi Motors Okazaki Plant in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, and the Shizuoka Branch of SHIZUOKA GAS. TEPCO); TEPCO Energy Partner, Inc.;

Japan 218
article thumbnail

Thermal Energy Storage Is No Longer Just Hot Air

Cars That Think

The shipping containers, which house a Frankenstein-like assortment of machine parts—motors repurposed from Volvo truck engines, giant tanks of compressed air, huge silos of piping hot sand—are produced by a company called Cheesecake Energy. The motor drives a piston that compresses air, which gets hot as it’s compressed.

article thumbnail

Mazda Demios To Be Base Architecture for Electric Vehicle Test Project

Green Car Congress

Mazda Motor Corporation will provide three Mazda Demios (Mazda2s) for conversion to EVs for a project in collaboration with Itochu Corporation and other companies in conjunction with Tsukuba City to test a low-carbon transport system which uses clean energy. Ecosystem Japan: Solar panel systems. Mazda Demio. Click to enlarge.

Mazda 231
article thumbnail

Nissan developing new vehicle-to-home power system for LEAF in Japan, aiming for commercialization this fiscal year

Green Car Congress

Nissan Motor Co., introduced a system which enables electricity to be supplied from the lithium-ion batteries installed in Nissan LEAF to ordinary households (i.e., With this system, Nissan LEAF can be used as an electricity storage device for houses in preparation for power outages and/or shortages. vehicle-top-home).

Nissan 218