MHI and partners launch SCSDP in Malaga, Spain
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI: TSE/7011), Hitachi, Ltd. (Hitachi: TSE/6501) and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC: TSE/8058) today announced that three companies launched operation of a demonstration system encompassing 200 electric vehicles (EV), 9 high-speed EV charging stations and an EV management center, as part of the Smart Community System Demonstration Project in Malaga, Spain in which the three companies are participating under consignment by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), the MHI press release said.
The demonstration project, which will be conducted through March 2016, targets the establishment of a next-generation transportation infrastructure that is expected to enable significant reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. MHI, Hitachi and MC will contribute to the project through provision of Japan's advanced technologies in transportation and power systems.
In celebration of the launch of the demonstration system, a ceremony was held in Malaga on April 25. Attendees included Crown Prince Felipe representing the Spanish Royal Family, Malaga Mayor Francisco de la Torre Prados, NEDO Chairman Kazuo Furukawa, and representatives of MHI, Hitachi, MC and the other companies and organizations participating in the project.
The demonstration project has two overriding aims: to create an EV infrastructure incorporating high-speed EV chargers, an EV management center and other facilities necessary for promoting the adoption of EVs; and to demonstrate the viability of their operation as a new business. Also to be demonstrated are a power management system indispensable to achieving stable power supplies to EVs, an information and communication technology (ITC) platform enabling the EV infrastructure to be linked with the power grid, and a new comprehensive service system based on data collected at the EV management center.
The demonstration project involves the introduction of about 200 EVs in total, mainly composed of i-MiEV EVs made by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC). High-speed EV charging stations to supply power to the EVs have been set up at 9 locations (23 chargers) in and around Malaga variously equipped with 3 standard CHAdeMO chargers (supplied by MHI), 4 storage battery type chargers effective for coping with unstable power supplies (MHI), and 4 chargers capable of charging up to 4 EVs simultaneously (Hitachi). The total system will be operated and managed by the newly completed EV management center. Project participants – EV users – have been recruited from interested drivers who will be using their vehicle in diverse ways, and a system has been completed for collecting useful data.