Japan Post is a private parcel delivery service that offers
daily service to millions of consumers throughout the country. The company’s
22,000-vehicle fleet represents one of the largest corporate fleets in Japan. Japan
Post announced recently plans to work with Think Global and Ener1 to insert
some all-electric delivery vehicles into its fleet. The delivery service wants
to convert 25% of its entire fleet into all-electric vehicles in the near
future.
The Think Global/Ener1 partnership with Japan Post will
start with 40 EVs equipped with unique drive trains. Think Global is
contributing a drive system design from its Th!nk City EV powered by a 30kW
electric motor. Ener1 worked with Think Global to integrate the 30kW motor with
a 26kWh lithium-ion battery to extend range for daily delivery vehicles. Japan
Post Holdings signed five-year leases on 20 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs and 20 Subaru
Stellas to take part in extensive testing over the next two years. These
delivery EVs will be sent out on routes within Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefectures to
maximize strain on the new drive system.
Japan Post, Think Global and Ener1 could not have created
this plan without some outside assistance. ITOCH Corporation, a major investor
in Ener1, funded research and development for this project in collaboration
with Japan Post Holdings. Zero Sports of Japan is a vehicle tuning and
customizing outfit that will integrate Think Global’s drive train into the leased
vehicles. Kyushu Electric Power is one of Japan’s biggest utilities and a
partner in determining the infrastructure needs for Japan Post’s new vehicles.
The red Japan Post vans that roam the country’s busy streets
will get green quickly. Japan Post is working to get ahead of the Japanese government’s
efforts to decrease emissions and increase fuel mileage in the next decade.
Japan Post is not analogous to the United States Postal Service in terms of
government control but it is similar in its scope of service. The addition of 40 delivery
EVs to a 22,000-car fleet may seem like a drop in the bucket but it is a
necessary first step. Japan Post is motivated to go further if this first round
of vehicles is financially viable. The involvement of global partners like
Think Global (Norway) and Ener1 (United States) will encourage Japan Post to
move lightly when considering additional EV leases.
