YOKOHAMA, JAPAN -- Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and 4R Energy Corp. said they’ve developed a charging system for electric vehicles that combines a solar power generation system with high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. 

Testing of this new charging system has begun at Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama.

With the new charging system, electricity is generated through solar cells installed at Nissan's global headquarters. This electricity is stored in lithium-ion batteries equivalent to four units of Nissan Leafs. With seven charging stations (three quick charge, four normal charge) located at headquarters, the total electricity that can be generated and stored is the equivalent needed to fully charge approximately 1,800 Nissan Leafs annually.

This new system can charge electric vehicles through a completely renewable energy source, Nissan said. This creates a cycle with zero CO2 emissions resulting from driving. By using the same lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles as stationary storage batteries, electricity can also be supplied to EVs regardless of the time of day or weather, enabling efficient use of renewable energy sources.

4R Energy Corp. is a joint venture established by Nissan and Sumitomo Corp. in September 2010. The venture has already started tests on a compact electricity storage system installed with second-life lithium-ion batteries previously used in Nissan Leafs. Based on the outcome of this larger system, 4R Energy plans to enter the market of mid-sized electricity storage systems for commercial and public facilities.

The demonstration test outline calls for:

-- Solar cell -- Maximum power output: 40kW (Solar Frontier)

-- Power conditioner -- Rated power output: 40kW (10kW×4)
(Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd.)

-- Storage battery capacity -- 96kWh (Automotive Energy Supply Corporation)

-- Grid management unit -- Rated power output of 200kW
(Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd.)

-- EV charging equipment -- Quick charger: 3 (50kW×3)
Regular charger: 4 (3.3kW×14).