New Mobility Contributes to Sustainable Communities~Chubu Electric Power Launches EV Bus Operation Proof of Concept with Shinnan Kotsu and Iida City~

Iida City (Mayor: Takeshi Sato), Shinnan Koutsu Corporation (President: Kazuo Nakajima, "Shinnan Koutsu"), and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (President & Director: Kingo Hayashi; "Chubu Electric Power") are pleased to announce today that they will launch a Proof of Concept ("PoC") for energy management utilizing EV bus charging. The PoC will introduce and operate an EV bus in Iida City pursuant to the Basic Agreement on Proof of Concept for New Mobility Utilization to Create Sustainable Communities Through Construction of Regional Circular and Ecological Sphere, which was entered into on February 14, 2020.

An EV bus will be utilized in conducting the PoC feasibility study of energy management and how this will lead to environmental impact reduction, greater use of renewables, and promotion of local production for local consumption.

More specifically, the PoC goal is to introduce and operate one EV bus along the community bus line in Iida City to verify its environmental impact reduction benefit, economic efficiency, comfort, and convenience. The PoC will also study ways for optimal EV bus charging that is best suited to the bus schedule and thereby seek to increase the use of renewable energies (local production for local consumption) among other goals.

Consideration will also be given to launching a PoC feasibility study on improving community bus convenience, generating demand, revitalizing the urban area, and other elements early in the coming fiscal year.

Iida City, Shinnan Koutsu, and Chubu Electric Power aim to employ new mobility for community development in a manner consistent with a new age anticipating arrival of the maglev era, while at the same time maximizing the good qualities of Iida City.

[PoC Overview]

(Note) Consideration will be given to launching a PoC feasibility study on improving community bus convenience, generating demand, revitalizing the urban area, and other elements early next fiscal year.