Toyota Motor to sell electricity management system using recycled NiMH vehicle batteries to Toyota dealers in Japan
23 January 2013
Starting this April, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will sell an electricity management system that uses recycled nickel-metal hydride batteries from hybrid vehicles to Toyota vehicle dealers throughout Japan.
The 10 kWh systems will be sold via TMC’s energy business company, Toyota Turbine and Systems Inc., and will be sold in combination with Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS), solar carports, solar power generation, LED lighting, energy-conserving air conditioning and other items.
The energy management system will make it possible to control the consumption, storage, and discharge of electricity, as well as increase usage efficiency.
The fixed electricity storage system has been undergoing verification tests conducted at the Nagoya Toyopet Otagawa dealership and other locations since February of last year. By improving the usage efficiency of electricity—for example, by cutting the amount of electricity used during peak usage times—the amount and cost of electricity and gas used for a single dealership can be decreased by half compared to dealerships without the system.
Because backup electricity can be stored and used during power outages during times such as disasters, this system can be used by emergency response centers to power equipment necessary for gathering critical emergency information and to power evacuation shelters.
Could be an inexpensive power system for off-on-grid solar electric storage and used/salvaged Prius batteries.
Posted by: kelly | 23 January 2013 at 08:52 AM
Expect Nissan to do something similar as well within a few years.
In the residential market, a 10 kWh system like this combined with solar would go a long ways towards reducing the large evening surge in demand on the grid as everyone gets home and fires up their lights, cooking appliances, tvs, air conditioning, etc.
Have the system store excess solar energy during the day while the sun is up, then release the energy to fit grid demand a few hours later.
This will reduce peak level out grid demand making it easier for fossil fuel burning plants to run at their highest efficiency.
Posted by: Dave R | 23 January 2013 at 10:49 AM
nimh are not the most efficient batteries that you could use for this.. 10% coulombic losses and high self discharge rates
Posted by: Herm | 23 January 2013 at 05:37 PM
There are not many used/salvaged Prius batteries now (probably never will be) - so with the start-up cost and effort, I think this is just window dressing;
- but its their money
- and their window
- so more POWER to them.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 26 January 2013 at 08:15 AM