Hybrid Living

Even as electric car technology hurtles forward, there are still challenges remaining as to how to integrate them into our society.  How to make battery charging readily available to urban and apartment-dwelling drivers has been one of those challenges, but Mitsubishi has designed a system that could take care of that, at least for Japanese drivers.

Along with the Japan Delivery System Corporation, the auto company has developed the i-Charger system.  i-Charger works a lot like the current package delivery system in that country:  users have their own unique PIN that allows them to retrieve packages from a main delivery box at an apartment complex.  The charging system will use the same JDS servers and system to charge tenants for the electricity they use from a central charging station located in an apartment parking lot or garage.

Users will log-in and juice up as needed and then the building supervisor will bill the tenants individually for their electricity use.  Building owners would have to invest in the i-Charger, but it may eventually be a big draw for tenants.

City and apartment-dwellers will make up a large chunk of the EV market, so it's important for car companies to start catering to them as soon as possible.  It looks like Mitsubishi is on the right track in Japan, especially considering the popularity of the iMiEV, but what about our automakers?  Ready to step up GM? Ford?

via Earth2Tech