Rapid Recharging Service for Electric Vehicles Started in Convenience Stores

Nine companies including Cocostore Corporation, Circle K Sunkus Co., Ltd., Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd., Daily Yamazaki Co., Ltd., FamilyMart Co., Ltd., MINISTOP Co., Ltd., Lawson Inc., Chuden Auto Lease Co., Ltd. and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. are involved in a project to install electric vehicle rapid rechargers (hereinafter known as quick chargers) in convenience stores within Aichi Prefecture for electric vehicle users (details on the agreement reached already notified on May 17, 2012). This is to announce that operations will be subsequently started on October 25.

The start of this project means that electric vehicle users are now able to become members of the Membership-based Quick Charging Service(*1) provided by the Charging Network Development Organization, LLC.(*2) in order to use the quick chargers installed at convenience stores 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The quick chargers will be installed at a total of 21 convenience stores throughout Aichi Prefecture within the year, and they are all scheduled to commence operations subsequently.

All nine companies involved in this project will continue to expend every effort to support the widespread use of electric vehicles in order to achieve a low-carbon society.

[Scene of a quick charger in use]

Note: The quick charger is used by passing the membership card over the authorization plate on the quick charger.

[Quick Charger Installation Locations]

• The locations in which the quick chargers are to be installed can be subsequently searched for on the [CHAdeMO Charge] website operated by Charging Network Development Organization, LLC. and on the [smart oasis] webpage operated by Nihon Unisys, Ltd. The schedule for the commencement of services for each location will also be posted on these websites when the information becomes available.

http://www.chademocharge.com (Currently dead link)

<Miscellaneous>

• This project was selected as being eligible to receive financial assistance under the FY2012 Financial Aid System for Research and Development into Creating a New Aichi established by Aichi Prefecture (title: Verification Experiment on Business Models to Promote the Public Use of Quick Chargers).

(*1)Membership-based Quick Charging Service (Service name: CHAdeMO Charge)

A service in which the Charging Network Development Organization, LLC*2 makes available to users of electric vehicles a network of quick chargers that have been installed or will be installed in the future throughout the country by a variety of entities.  

• By becoming members, electric vehicle users are able to use the quick chargers in the network established by the Charging Network Development Organization
• By participating in the service, an entity that installs a quick charger receives a portion of membership fees from the Charging Network Development Organization, and is able to use these funds to offset the cost of installing and maintaining the quick charger

(*2)Charging Network Development Organization, LLC

Founded in December 2011 on the basis of cooperation between nine companies from diverse industries (an electric company, automakers, a financial institution, a service station company, and trading companies, etc.), this business entity operates a membership-based quick charging service for electric vehicles, and seeks to realize the more widespread use of the electric vehicles by promoting the installation of quick chargers.

Representative:

Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

Members:

ULVAC, Inc., KANEMATSU CORPORATION, Kandenko Co., Ltd.,

Suzuyo Shoji Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation,

The Development Bank of Japan, Inc., Honda Motor Co., Ltd.,

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation

[Related Press Release]

Agreement on Efforts toward Installation of Quick Chargers for Electric Vehicles and Their Provision for General Use (Issued May 17, 2012)