Hybrid Living

Japan's postal service has announced that it is considering plans to switch its entire fleet of around 21,000 short-distance delivery vehicles to zero-emission EVs starting this business year. The company has also approached Japanese companies to push for the development of electric-powered motorbikes.

A spokesman at Japan Post Service Co, the mail delivery unit of Japan Post Corp, said, “We’re discussing the feasibility with automakers and battery makers to that end.” Depending on how fast the cars and the necessary recharging infrastructure can be set up, the company may use some gasoline-electric hybrids in the interim. It’s possible that the delivery vehicles will be a variation of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV.

This seems likely given that shares in Mitsubishi soared immediately following the announcement. Any discussion of the feasibility of the project is likely to focus on the high cost of converting to an all-electric fleet. However, with gasoline prices soaring, cost will be less of an issue in the long-term. The project would also be big enough to make a sizeable dent in Japan’s carbon emissions and might just tip the scales in favor of the government-backed roll out of a nation-wide recharging infrastructure. This will also be encouraging news for carmakers looking to invest in EVs, with such a large ‘guaranteed’ initial demand likely to ease worries about the potential market.

Via Reuters and Business Week