Zoomi Life

Subaru has the R1e (Stella) all-electric car that they’ve been testing in New York, but haven’t announced any plans to sell yet. Many have wondered why they’re holding off.  The answer may have been announced now: Subaru, Better Place, and the Japanese government have all come together to announce that they will be be teaming up to build an electric vehicle infrastructure in Japan, starting in Yokohama.

Subaru is working on this team up on two fronts: producing the Stella electric car and, surprisingly, building wind-powered electrical generators across the Japanese islands. These 80/2.0 (80m diameter, 2 megawatt) windmills are manufactured (for the most part) by Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries.

The Japanese government has initiated a “Minus Six Percent Challenge” to reduce CO2 emissions by six percent by 2012. The Stella will likely be available for purchase in Japan this year, in limited quantities, and Better Place plans to have charging stations in place by 2010, with plans to cover most major cities in Japan by 2012.

The Japanese government, for their part, is offering a 90% tax reduction for car and purchase taxes for electric vehicles plus discounted parking and highway/toll fees as well. Subaru also plans to license their electric vehicle tech to other car manufacturers as well, which could give some companies an instantly-ready EV for production.

Read the full press release from BetterPlace here.