Nissan LEAF reservations Begin April 20

In response to strong consumer demand, Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) will begin taking reservations for the Nissan LEAF zero-emission, all-electric vehicle on April 20. The reservation process is a first step in securing a place on the list to purchase or lease a Nissan LEAF. The Nissan LEAF begins rolling out to select markets in December, and will be widely available in 2011.

April 20 also marks the date for the debut of a new website on NissanUSA.com to support the launch of the Nissan LEAF. The website will continue to serve as a resource about the most up-to-date information for the Nissan LEAF, including upcoming special events.

In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling. More information on the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

MSRP excludes applicable tax, title and license fees. Dealer sets actual price. Prices and specs are subject to change without notice.

Toyota Industries develops solar charging station for PHVs, EVs

Toyota Industries Corp developed a solar charging station for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) and electric vehicles (EVs).The municipal government of Toyota City in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, adopted it, planning to build 21 stations at 11 places such as the municipal office, its branch offices, train stations, etc. The city will start the operation of those charging stations with 20 units of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid in April 2010.The output of the solar panel is 1.9kW, and the capacity of the storage battery is 8.4kWh. The maximum output of the power converter is 3.2kW (AC202V) in grid-connected operation and 1.5kVA (AC101V) in self-sustained operation.The charging station has a solar photovoltaic system and a power storage system and is connected to the grid. The electricity generated from solar power is stored in the power storage system, and vehicles are charged with photovoltaic electricity and electricity from the storage system. When the stored electricity runs out, the grid electricity is used so that vehicles can be stably charged regardless of weather or time of day.On the other hand, when there is extra electricity stored in the power storage system, it is used for the facilities in the station or sold to a utility company. When a disaster occurs, the station can provide photovoltaic electricity and stored electricity to electrical equipment that uses AC100V power.

Toyota unveils FT-CH concept in Detroit

Toyota today unveiled the FT-CH dedicated hybrid concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The FT-CH is a concept that meets Toyota’s strategy to offer a wider variety of full hybrid choices to its customers, in addition to the introduction of plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and battery electrics (EVs) in model year 2012, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCHVs) in 2015 in global markets.The CH stands for compact hybrid as in compact class and it’s a concept that can best be defined by comparing it with the mid-size class Prius. The FT-CH captures the spirit and functionality of a car that thrives in the inner-city environment; sized right to be nimble, responsive and maneuverable. The FT-CH was styled at Toyota’s European Design and Development (ED²) centre in Nice, France. Compared to Prius, it is 22 inches shorter in overall length, yet loses less than an inch in overall width. In spite of its compact external dimensions, FT-CH was designed for maximum passenger comfort and interior roominess, with an imaginative sense of style.ED² designers looked to capture the vivid, high-energy appeal of what has come to be called the 8-bit generation. Popularized in the early 80’s, 8-bit microprocessor technology dominated the budding home video game industry. Today, 8-bit is considered a specific retro-style that is embraced by such things as 8-bit genre music and 8-bit inspired art. The direct reference to the 8-bit generation is meant to be fun and innovative, colourful and stylish, with strong appeal to young buyers. Lighter in weight and even more fuel efficient than Prius, the concept specifically targets a lower price point than Prius, thus appealing to a younger, less-affluent buyer demographic. In the early 2010s, Toyota plans to sell a million hybrids per year globally, a majority of those in North America. To accomplish this, Toyota will launch eight all new hybrid models in the USA over the next few years*. These will not include next generation versions of current hybrids; instead, they will be all new dedicated hybrid vehicles, or all new hybrid versions of existing petrol engine models.Toyota also plans to introduce plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and battery electrics (EVs) to global markets in 2012, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCHVs) in 2015.
* Eight new hybrid models to be introduced into USA market