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Seven & i Holdings Co and NEC Corp have announced plans to install chargers for electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) at supermarkets, shopping centers and department stores operated by Seven & i Holdings and to provide a fee-based charging service.
This project is the largest scale introduction of EV and PHV chargers ever attempted in Japan. Services will be gradually launched from November in stores where chargers have been installed.
Seven & i Holdings will install 3,380 units of NEC's wall-mounted AC chargers for EV and PHV in parking lots at a total of 45 stores, including Ito-Yokado supermarkets, Ario shopping centers, and Sogo and Seibu department stores. It will also install NEC's wall-mounted charging controllers that enable user authentication for multiple chargers, billing management, and central monitoring and control.
NEC will borrow the complete charging infrastructure from Seven & i Holdings to provide a fee-based charging service for EV and PHV users. This charging service will support payment with a charging card issued by Nippon Charge Service LLC and Seven & i Holdings's electronic money "nanaco." To facilitate the setup of the charging infrastructure, the subsidy system provided by the Japanese government for projects to promote the development of charging infrastructure for next-generation vehicles will be used.
Recently, tax reduction measures and subsidies have been implemented to help spread the use of EVs and PHVs as environmentally friendly next-generation vehicles with lower air pollutant emissions. To help popularize these next-generation vehicles, it is essential to develop a charging infrastructure. Installation of chargers has already begun in the parking lots of commercial and public facilities with support from the Japanese government.
The supermarkets and department stores where EV and PHV chargers will be introduced are commercial facilities that users visit frequently while carrying out daily errands. Seven & i said it hopes the project will improve the convenience of these facilities and attract more customers, as well as encourage people to charge their EV or PHV at places they often visit. Moreover, the project aims to help establish a low carbon society through the spread of environmentally friendly next-generation vehicles.
© Japan Today
7 Comments
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sangetsu03
What thiis means is that the taxpayers are paying for the installation of these chargers, which of course will be made by Japan Inc. The number of outlets bein installed probably surpasses the number of electric vehicles in the areas these stores are located. A nice example of corporate welfare, sugar-coated as a green project.
And, if we use America as an example, we will probably find out that many, if not most, of these chargers will not be used.
Frederic Bastiat
"To facilitate the setup of the charging infrastructure, the subsidy system provided by the Japanese government for projects to promote the development of charging infrastructure for next-generation vehicles will be used."
And so again, the taxpayers, working stiffs ~30% of whose wages are stolen by government, will be footing the bill to provide charging stations for those who have purchased already heavily subsidized vehicles that most workers can not afford. This is another episode of the Reverse-Robin-Hood story. Ridiculous.
Daniel Neagari
＠MyTime Most mansions (apartment buildings) built in late years have in their parking spaces infrastructure that able EV charging. Those buildings that doesn't have can easily install charging infrastructure.
Your comment regarding "run a cable down the side of the building" is ignoring what is the situation in here.
MyTimeIsYourTime
With all the high rise mansions in Japan, I kind of wonder how you can charge an electric car if you buy one. Run a cable down the side of the building?
Moby Grape
Electric car sales are booming in the States, Europe and China, and all have some sort of support from their governments. And Japan has a strong position amongst the 20 or so companies making electric vehicles. Cleaner, safer cars, what's not to like. Why are some so negative? Should Henry Ford have built America's highway system? You're worried that supporting electric vehicles might cut into oil subsidies?
hero77
gamazing as always japan leads the way