Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi align as part of electric vehicle charging association

RP news wires
Tags: green manufacturing, manufacturing, energy management

Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan Motor Company, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. and The Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc. (TEPCO) have formally established "CHAdeMO Association" under the resolution of its general assembly held on March 15. The five companies above have become its executive members. CHAdeMO Association aims to increase quick-charger installations worldwide indispensable to further diffusion of electric vehicles and to standardize how to charge the vehicles.

Last August, Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors, Fuji Heavy Industries and TEPCO started a preparatory committee. Then, TOYOTA joined the committee and the Association has been established with the five companies as its executive members. As of March 15, 158 business entities and government bodies including 20 foreign companies are expected to join the association, such as automakers, electric utilities, charger manufacturers, charging service providers and other supporting groups.

Electric vehicles (including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) can contribute enormously to reduction of CO2 emissions in the transportation sector. The association is going to promote the electric vehicles through the efforts of technical improvements of quick chargers, standardization activities of charging methods, and international extension of our knowledge related to quick-charger installations.

General Outline of "CHAdeMO Association"

1. What is "CHAdeMO"?
"CHAdeMO" is a trade name of a quick-charging method that this association is proposing globally as an industry standard. "CHAdeMO" is an abbreviation of "CHArge de MOve", equivalent to "charge for moving", and is a pun for "O cha demo ikaga desuka" in Japanese, meaning "Let's have a tea while charging" in English.

CHAdeMO

This logo means smiles which associate a bright future and happiness with a combination of the circuit symbol of battery image representing "Charge", and a dynamic curving line image representing "Move".
This ecological green is the color of "Green Tea".

2. Structure of the Association
  President: Tsunehisa Katsumata
    (Chairman, The Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc.)
image
Meeting
Meeting Frequency
Activity
General Assembly (GA)
Once/
fiscal year
- Approval of action plan and activity report including fiscal report
Executive Board (EB)
As needed
- Decision of matters related to management and operation of the association
Technology Workshop( TW)
As needed
- Certification work of quick chargers compatible with CHAdeMO Protocol
- Revision of standard specifications
- Involvement for international standardization activities through representative body of each country
Infrastructure Workshop (IW)
As needed
- Sharing information regarding installation and maintenance of quick chargers among members
- Reviewing and sharing information regarding development and installation of normal/quick charging infrastructure


3. Member classes and roles

Member
Class
Roles
Participable Meeting
GA
EB
TW
IW
Executive Members
Members managing operation of this association
Regular Members
Members consisting of automakers and charger manufacturers, that develop and manufacture products compatible with CHAdeMO Protocol
 
Supporting Members
Members supporting this association's prospectus and cooperating in expediting the installation of charging infrastructure
 
 
Observers
Entities like central or local government bodies or other organizations supporting the association's activities
*
 
 
  *: no voting rights