EIS system. Click to enlarge.

The project will also focus on developing an Electric Vehicle Integration System (EIS), which will control charge-discharge amounts and rates to minimize burden on the vehicles, as well as employ the FEMS to utilize the vehicles as batteries for supplementary energy supply

MC, MMC and MELCO have worked on Smart Grid systems to utilize these batteries since last March. The battery business is expected to increase rapidly with the increasing proliferation of electric vehicles. The three partners applied to NEDO to take part in the research project and were accepted on 24 August. They then signed a subsidy contract under which NEDO will bear two-thirds of the project’s costs.

Through their collaboration, MC, MMC, and MELCO hope to determine how the results can be used to benefit several Smart Grid projects underway in other countries, most notably in emerging economies.

NEDO’s energy management operations are invested in the stable, large-scale introduction of distributed power. The organization’s aim is to develop and verify storage technologies for this energy management at two levels, one being the electric power grids and individual points of demand which supplement power back to the grids, and the other being the larger, regional level. To achieve this aim, NEDO is promoting its joint research into comprehensive energy-storing technologies. Among its research endeavors are:

• R&D of storage battery technologies for EMS on the demand side;
• Demonstrations of EMS by using these storage battery technologies; and
• Promotion of evaluation methods and standardization as a means of systematizing power distribution, with consideration also of developments in international markets.

The R&D conducted by MC, MMC, and MELCO will assess problems that may arise from the introduction of renewable energy and wide-scale use of electric vehicles. In order to address the issues confirmed through NEDO’s research activities, the partners will examine the effectiveness of installing storage batteries on the demand side, such as at homes and factories, and look into developing the necessary technologies.

Mitsubishi Corporation will conduct research into use cases of storage batteries in smart grid configurations (V2X) and common infrastructure systems to make V2X possible. It will also handle international development, with assistance from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will develop V2X using the i-MiEV, study information transmission from electric vehicles to make V2X possible, develop discharge function of electric vehicles, and connection standards between electric vehicles and equipment (expanding CHAdeMO standard).

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation will develop EMS for factories and homes, and highly-versatile information systems for electric vehicles.

The contract period is until the end of FY 2011, while the NEDO collaborative research project will continue until the end of FY 2014. MC will disclose some research results until it receives an interim appraisal on March 31, 2011 from the NEDO joint research project. The company says it will continue to explore business opportunities to expand its operations internationally.