On May 11, 2020, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO, Headquarters: Tokyo), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT, Headquarters: Tokyo)[1], Hitachi (Headquarters: Tokyo)[2], and Ricoh (Headquarters: Tokyo) announced that they have established the “Electric Vehicle Utilization Consortium” to promote the use of Electric Vehicles (EV) in the commercial sector.

TEPCO’s partners come from a wide range of industries: NTT is a Japanese telecommunication company, Hitachi is an electric manufacturing company that offers a range of electronics and industrial equipment, and Ricoh is an imaging and electronics company that produces and distributes printing equipment. The consortium is endorsed by a total of forty companies, ranging from the automotive industry to electric utilities, such as Toyota Motor (Toyota, Headquarters: Toyota City), Toshiba (Headquarters: Tokyo)[3], and Kyushu Electric Power (Kyuden, Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture[4]).[5]

Amid concerns about climate change, companies and organizations are required to take actions to realize a decarbonized society. In Japan, the transportation sector accounts for approximately 20% of Japan’s CO2 emissions, however, EVs are expected to contribute to CO2 emission reductions. EVs can also be utilized to strengthen the resilience of electricity infrastructure during a disaster, when they are used for battery storage.

With the launch of the Electric Vehicle Utilization Consortium, the forty members will work together to promote the implementation of EVs in the commercial sector through standardization, information sharing, and resolving implementation barriers, in order to achieve the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).[6]

[1] https://www.ntt.co.jp/about/gaiyou.html

[2] https://www.hitachi.com/corporate/about/hitachi/index.html

[3] https://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/profi_j.htm

[4] https://www.kyuden.co.jp/english_company_outline_index.html

[5] https://www.tepco.co.jp/press/release/2020/pdf2/200511j0101.pdf

[6] https://www.tepco.co.jp/press/release/2020/1541025_8710.html