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Toyota City, Japan, Oct 27, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - JERA Co., Inc. (JERA) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announce the construction and launch of the world's first (as of writing, according to Toyota's investigations) large-capacity Sweep Energy Storage System. The system was built using batteries reclaimed from electrified vehicles (HEV, PHEV, BEV, FCEV) and is connected to the consumer electrical power grid. It begins operation today.
In the future, demand for storage batteries is expected to grow as they become necessary supply-stabilizing tools when expanding renewable energy in the movement toward CO2 emissions reduction, a vital part of achieving carbon neutrality. At the same time, limited supplies of battery materials including cobalt and lithium, mean there is an ongoing need for environmentally conscious initiatives, such as reclaiming used electrified vehicle batteries for effective use as storage batteries. In response, JERA and Toyota began discussions in 2018 to establish battery reuse technologies, which eventually led to this large-capacity, grid-connected Sweep Energy Storage System.

Toyota's new storage system is equipped with a function called sweep, which allows the use of reclaimed vehicle batteries, which have significant differences in performance and capacity, to their full capacity regardless of their level of deterioration. The sweep function, developed by Toyota Central R&D Labs, Inc., is a device that can freely control energy discharge by switching electricity flow on and off (bypassing) through series-connected batteries in microseconds.

Furthermore, the sweep function also enables direct AC output from the batteries, while reusing onboard inverters eliminate the need for a power conditioner (PCS). That contributes to reducing costs and helps avoid power loss when converting from AC to DC by PCS, with the aim of improving effective energy use.

The project plans to operate grid storage batteries for recharge and discharge operations, connected to the Chubu Electric Power Grid Co., Inc. power distribution system from a facility (see below(1)) at JERA's Yokkaichi Thermal Power Station. JERA and Toyota aim to introduce approximately 100,000 kWh of supplied electricity in the mid-2020s, thereby not only reducing the overall cost of the energy storage system, but also contributing to reduction of CO2 emissions.

(1) Selected by Japan's Ministry of the Environment to conduct an "FY2022 Project for Early Social Implementation of a Decarbonized Metal Recycling System."

In addition, JERA is developing a low environmental impact process for recycling lithium-ion batteries for electrified vehicles(2), which Toyota plans to support by leveraging the expertise and knowledge it has accumulated through its battery recycling initiatives to date. By collecting used batteries and reusing resources, both companies hope to accelerate their efforts toward achieving a resource-recycling society.

(2) JERA and Sumitomo Chemical Start a Demonstration Project to Develop a Low Environmental Impact Recycling Process for Electric Vehicle Lithium-ion Batteries (JERA Press Release, April 19, 2022)

JERA will continue to work proactively not only within the energy industry but also with leading companies in Japan and overseas to develop technologies such as battery storage systems and services that contribute to optimal energy utilization toward achieving a decarbonized and resource-recycling society.

Toyota actively promotes electrified vehicle adoption and pursues effective battery use, including electrified vehicle battery reuse, for the development of social infrastructure that will support the widespread adoption of electrified vehicles, expand the use of renewable energy, and promote resource recycling toward achieving carbon neutrality.


Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.comJERA Co., Inc. (JERA) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announce the construction and launch of the world's first (as of writing, according to Toyota's investigations) large-capacity Sweep Energy Storage System.

TOKYO, Oct 25, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it has begun sales of the Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: battery swapping station in Japan, with the first unit delivered to Gachaco Inc., a battery sharing service joint venture. Gachaco today began operation of the first mass-production model of the Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: in Japan.
Product website: www.honda.co.jp/mobilepowerpack/exchanger (Japanese)

Honda is striving to realize carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities Honda is involved in by 2050. Electrification of mobility products, which is indispensable to achieve this goal, has three challenges that need to be addressed: short range, long charging time and high battery cost. By addressing such challenges with swappable batteries and their sharing service, Honda is striving to contribute to the acceleration of electrification and expansion of the use of renewable energy.

Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: is a battery swapping station that simultaneously charges multiple units of Honda Mobile Power Pack e: (MPP e:) and enables smooth battery swapping for users of electric motorcycles and other mobile products equipped with MPP e:. The users will have access to fully-charged MPP e: whenever needed at battery swapping stations in the city, which enables efficient use of electrified mobility products without waiting for the batteries to get charged.

Developed as a battery infrastructure which can achieve widespread use inside and outside of Japan, Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: features an exterior design that blends in well with the cityscape and adopts the Honda Power Pack Cloud system that centrally manages all information necessary for a battery sharing service operation in the cloud. Moreover, Honda pursued the convenience and user-friendliness for both battery sharing service businesses and the users of electrified mobility products.

In India, through its local subsidiary, Honda Power Pack Energy India Pvt. Ltd. (HEID), Honda has already started a battery sharing service for electric tricycle taxis ("rickshaws"), using Honda Power Pack Exchanger e:.

By offering the products and operating system for customers who are interested in battery sharing, Honda will continue supporting electrification of their mobility products and contributing to the realization of a low-carbon society.

For more information about the joint battery sharing service of Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Gachaco Inc., please visit the website of Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/tosei/hodohappyo/press/2022/10/12/05.html (Japanese)

For more details about this battery sharing service, please contact Gachaco Ins.
https://gachaco.co.jp/contact (Japanese)

For more information, visit global.honda/newsroom/news/2022/p221025eng.html.


Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.comHonda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it has begun sales of the Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: battery swapping station in Japan, with the first unit delivered to Gachaco Inc., a battery sharing service joint venture.

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