Toyota To Roll Out Innovative New EV Charging Stations

In advance of the launch of the plug-in version of the Prius, Toyota is getting into the electric vehicle charging station business.

The company has announced plans to roll out individual charging 100-200 volt charging stations that will be anchored to telephone polls.

Two interesting features about these stations: 1) The stations will be the first to be solar powered, and 2) the stations communicate with a central computer that will authorize user access, thus giving Toyota a way to monetize the service by making it subscription based or perhaps even "pay as you go."

Nissan has also announced plans to roll out EV charging stations, as it too is preparing to launch a new electric vehicle next year.

Toyota enters the EV charger market [businessgreen.com]