Toyota says that it has used the knowledge gained in the development of its hybrid and battery-electric vehicles to produce a new home battery storage system for residential use.
It’s called the Toyota O-Uchi Kyuden system, which Toyota describes as a “safe, long service life, high-quality, good value for price and high-performance” battery storage system that can be used as an emergency electricity supply or for normal domestic use.
Toyota says that for now, the O-Uchi Kyuden system has been created for the domestic market in Japan, with the first deliveries slated for August this year.
While Toyota is yet to confirm the exact chemical makeup of the battery system, it has confirmed that the storage system has a capacity of 8.7kWh and an optimal output of 5.5kWh, which is considerably smaller than Tesla’s battery storage system which offers a capacity of 13.5kWh.
It comes packing a battery storage system, DC-DC converter, hybrid power conditioner, vehicle power cable and a special AC connection cable with a leak breaker, and it can be connected to an existing solar supply.
Interestingly, Toyota’s pack comes fitted with a bi-directional charging system which means that in the event of a long power outage, an electric vehicle could in fact charge the pack, with AC voltage capped at 100V.
