Japan start-up to offer fleet service using China's Geely EVs

SG Holdings

07/04/2022 04:34

By Satoshi Sugiyama
    TOKYO, April 7 (Reuters) - A Japanese battery start-up said
on Thursday it would launch a commercial fleet service using
electric vehicles from China's Geely Auto Group, joining a
growing field of services aimed at helping companies reduce
their carbon footprint.
    Yokohama-based 3DOM Inc, a university-led venture set up in
2014 to develop separators for batteries, said it would offer
the carbon neutral EV service through subscription or lease so
that users could avoid high purchase costs.
    Companies are under increasing pressure from investors and
the public to reduce their carbon footprint, and Chinese
automakers have led the way in Japan through their relatively
low-cost battery electric vehicles.
    Leading Japanese delivery firm Sagawa Express Co  9143.T 
plans to start replacing all 7,200 of its commercial
mini-vehicles with EVs supplied by Guangxi Automobile Group this
year. Another firm, SBS Holdings  2384.T , has plans to use
electric trucks produced by Dongfeng Motor  0489.HK  group.
    3DOM said the electricity that would power Geely's light
commercial van would be produced from wind power and other green
sources in partnership with utilities. The running cost for the
service to lease the vans would be on a par with a
gasoline-powered fleet, it said.
    3DOM said the fleet would comprise about 7,500 vehicles and
several companies including delivery services and supermarket
operators were considering its service. It did not elaborate.
    Among Japanese automakers, Mitsubishi Motors Corp  7211.T 
provides EVs for the postal service, while Toyota Motor Corp
 7203.T  has a trial service with convenience store operators to
use its fuel-cell hydrogen electric vehicles.

 (Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama and Maki Shiraki; editing by
Chang-Ran Kim and Richard Pullin)
 ((Satoshi.Sugiyama@thomsonreuters.com;))