Plug-in electrified vehicles in Japan

The fleet of light-duty plug-in electrical vehicles in Japan is the third largest in the world after China and the United States as of December two thousand sixteen [update] , with about 147,500 highway legal plug-in electrical vehicles sold in the country since 2009. [Three] The rate of growth of the Japanese plug-in segment slowed down from 2013, with annual sales falling behind Europe, the U.S. and China during two thousand fourteen and 2015. [Four] [Five] [6] The decline in plug-in car sales reflects the Japanese government and the major domestic carmakers decision to adopt and promote hydrogen fuel cell vehicles instead of plug-in electrical vehicles, [7] [8] albeit the very first commercially produced hydrogen fuel cell automobiles began to be in 2015.

As of August two thousand sixteen [update] , the Nissan Leaf all-electric car ranked as the all-time top selling plug-in electrical vehicle in the country, with 68,819 units sold since December 2010. [1] [Two] Ranking 2nd is the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV with 34,830 units delivered through August 2016, [9] followed by the Toyota Prius PHV with 22,100 units sold through April 2016. [Ten]

As of December two thousand twelve [update] , Japan was the country with the highest ratio of quick charging points to electrical vehicles (EVSE/EV), with a ratio of 0.030 as of December two thousand twelve [update] . The country’s charging infrastructure included 1,381 public quick-charge stations and around three hundred non-domestic slow charger points. [11] The Japanese government has set up a target to deploy two million slow chargers and Five,000 swift charging points by 2020. [11]

Contents

Cumulative light-duty plug-in electrical vehicle sales in Japan totaled about 147,500 units inbetween July two thousand nine and December 2016, making Japan the world’s third largest light-duty plug-in vehicle country market after the China and the U.S. [Three] As of September two thousand sixteen [update] , total Japanese sales of light-duty plug-in vehicles represent 8.1% of the global stock of plug-ins. [12] The plug-in segment sales climbed from 1,080 units in two thousand nine to 12,630 in 2011, and reached 24,440 in 2012. Only all-electric cars were sold in the country inbetween two thousand nine and 2011. [13] Global sales of unspoiled electrical cars in two thousand twelve were led by Japan with a 28% market share of the segment sales. Japan ranked 2nd after the U.S. in terms of its share of plug-in hybrid sales in 2012, with 12% of global sales. [11]

About 30,600 highway-capable plug-in electrical vehicles were sold in the country in 2013, [14] [15] [16] signifying a 0.58% market share of the Five.Three million fresh automobiles and kei cars sold in 2013. [17] [Legal] In two thousand fourteen the segment sales remained plane with over 30,000 plug-in electrified vehicles were sold, with the plug-in market share achieving a record market share of 1.06% of fresh car sales (kei cars not included). [Five] Accounting for kei cars, the plug-in segment market share falls to 0.7%. [13] During 2014, cumulative plug-in sales in the Japanese market passed the 100,000 unit mark. However, as a result of the slow growth from 2013, Japan was surpassed in two thousand fourteen by China, with over 50,000 units sold, as the 2nd largest world market that year. [Five] Sales totaled 24,660 units in 2015, consisting of Ten,420 all-electrics and 14,190 plug-in hybrids. [13] In two thousand fifteen the plug-in market share was 0.6% of fresh car sales. [13] As a result of the slow down in sales that occurred after 2013, annual sales fell behind Europe, the U.S. and China during two thousand fourteen and 2015. [Four] [Five] [6]

The very first electrified car available in the Japanese market was the Mitsubishi i MiEV, launched for fleet customers in Japan in late July 2009. [Nineteen] [20] Retail sales to the public began in April 2010. [21] [22] [23] Cumulative sales since July two thousand nine reached 11,144 i-MiEVs through April 2016. [24] [25] Sales of the Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV electrified van began in December 2011, and a total of 6,172 units have been sold through April 2016. [24] [26] A truck version of the Minicab MiEV was launched in January 2013, [27] with sales of nine hundred twenty seven units through April 2016. [24] [26] Mitsubishi also launched in January two thousand thirteen a plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander, called the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV, becoming the very first SUV plug-in hybrid in the world’s market. [28] The SUV has an all-electric range of sixty km (37 mi). [28] The Outlander P-HEV sold 9,608 units during 2013, ranking as the 2nd top selling plug-in electrical car in Japan after the Nissan Leaf. [26] [17] As of April two thousand sixteen [update] , Mitsubishi Motors had sold 52,234 plug-in electrified vehicles in Japan since July 2009. [24] [25] [26]

The very first prototype battery switch station from Better Place was demonstrated in Yokohama on May 14, 2009. [29] On April 2010, a 90-day switchable-battery electrified taxi demonstration project was launched in Tokyo, using three Nissan Rogue crossover utility vehicles, converted into electrical cars with switchable batteries provided by A123 Systems. The battery switch station deployed in Tokyo is more advanced than the Yokohama switch system demonstrated in 2009. [30] [31] [32] During the three-month field test the EV taxis accumulated over 25,000 miles (40,000 km) and exchanged batteries Two,122 times, with an average battery exchange time of 59.1 seconds. Nissan determined to proceed the trial until late November 2010. [33]

Sales of the Nissan Leaf began on December 22, 2010, when the very first ten Leaf were delivered at the Kanagawa Prefecture. The Prefecture Government determined to assign six Leafs for official use and the other four were made available for the car rental service run by the local government. [34] [35] Sales of the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid began in January 2012, and a total of Nineteen,100 units have been sold through September 2014. [15] The Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid was introduced in Japan in June two thousand thirteen and it is available only for leasing, primarily to corporations and government agencies. [36] As of December two thousand thirteen [update] , the Accord PHEV ranked as the third best selling plug-in hybrid in the Japanese market. [37]

Sales of the plug-in electrical drive segment during two thousand thirteen were led by the Nissan Leaf with 13,021 units sold, up from 11,115 in 2012, permitting the Leaf to proceed as the top selling plug-in electrified car in the country since 2011. [39] Also during 2013, a total of forty five Nissan NMC all-electric low-speed neighborhood vehicles were sold in the country. [17] Sales during the very first nine months of two thousand fourteen again were led by the Nissan Leaf with Ten,877 units, [16] followed by the Outlander P-HEV with 8,630 units, [14] together signifying 78.8% of the plug-in segment sales during this period. [14] [15] [16] [39]

Retail deliveries of the Tesla Model S began in Japan in September 2014. [38] The Leaf continued as the market leader in two thousand fourteen for the fourth year running with 14,177 units sold, followed by the Outlander P-HEV with Ten,064 units, together signifying about 80% of the plug-in segment sales in Japan in 2014. [41] [42] [43]

In two thousand fifteen the Outlander plug-in hybrid surpassed the Leaf as the top selling plug-in electrical car in the country that year with Ten,996 units sold, while the Leaf sold 9,057 units. [40] Japan is the Outlander P-HEV largest country market with 30,668 units sold through December 2015. [44] Nevertheless, at the end of two thousand fifteen the Nissan Leaf continued to rank as the all-time best-selling plug-in car in the country with 57,699 units sold. [1] As of December two thousand fifteen [update] , cumulative sales of plug-in electrified cars totaled 126,420 units since 2009. [13]

During the very first eight months of two thousand sixteen the Nissan Leaf led sales with 11,120 units delivered. [Two] Since December 2010, Nissan has sold 68,819 units through August 2016, making the Leaf the all-time best-selling plug-in car in the country. [1] [Two] Inbetween January and August 2016, a total of Four,162 Outlander P-HEVs were sold in Japan. [9] Sales of the Outlander plug-in hybrid fell sharply from April two thousand sixteen as a result of Mitsubishi’s fuel mileage scandal. [45] Since its inception, sales of the plug-in hybrid totaled 34,830 units through August 2016. [9]

Sales by model Edit

The following table presents sales for the top selling highway-capable plug-in electrified vehicles by year since July two thousand nine up to April 2016.

available in the Japanese market inbetween two thousand nine and April 2016

(Two) Sales only inbetween April and August 2014.

Future trends Edit

The rate of growth of the Japanese plug-in segment slowed down from 2013, with annual sales falling behind Europe, the U.S. and China during two thousand fourteen and 2015. [Four] [6] This trend reflects the Japanese government and the major domestic carmakers decision to adopt and promote hydrogen fuel cell vehicles instead of plug-in electrical vehicles. [7] [8] The Japanese strategy aims to concentrate in investing strenuously in fuel-cell technology and infrastructure as part of a national policy to foster what it calls a hydrogen society, where the zero-emission fuel would power homes and vehicles. [7]

In August 2012, Toyota announced its plans to begin retail sales of a hydrogen fuel-cell sedan in California in 2015. Toyota expects to become a leader in this technology. [49] In addition, in September two thousand twelve Toyota announced that is backing away from fully electrified vehicles. The company’s vice chairman, Takeshi Uchiyamada, said “The current capabilities of electrical vehicles do not meet society’s needs, whether it may be the distance the cars can run, or the costs, or how it takes a long time to charge.” Toyota’s emphasis would be re-focused on the hybrid concept, and twenty one fresh hybrid gas-electric models scheduled to be on the market by 2015. [50] [51]

As part of Toyota’s effort to maintain its alternative propulsion lead, it launched for retail customers the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in late 2014, and Honda plans to launch the Clarity Fuel Cell by late 2016. [7] Toyota is responding to interest in the hydrogen economy in its home market, where, as of December two thousand fourteen [update] , there were 100,000 residential hydrogen fuel cells already installed across Japan. The country is aiming for Five.Trio million households, or toughly 10%, to have fuel cells by 2030. [8] Nevertheless, in June two thousand fifteen Toyota announced its plans to proceed a strong promotion of plug-in hybrids beginning with the introduction of the Prius Prime. [52]

In September 2016, Shoichi Kaneko, assistant chief engineer for the Prius Prime, said in an interview with the website AutoblogGreen that creating the next-generation Prius will be a tremendously difficult challenge due to the physical limitations to improve the Prius’ fuel economy. And considering that Toyota “wants to lead the way in reducing (and eventually eliminating) fossil fuels from its vehicles, simply making a better standard hybrid powertrain might not be enough,” the carmaker is considering making every future Prius a plug-in hybrid beginning with the fifth-generation models. [53]

The Japanese electrified vehicle charging infrastructure climbed from only sixty public charging stations in early two thousand ten [Nineteen] to 1,381 public quick-charge stations as of December two thousand twelve [update] , signifying the largest deployment of rapid chargers in the world. The number of non-domestic slow charger points enhanced to around three hundred units. [11] Japan also is the country with the highest ratio of quick charging points to electrified vehicles (EVSE/EV), with a ratio of 0.030 as of December two thousand twelve [update] . [11] There are 1,967 CHAdeMO quick charging stations across the country by April 2014. [54] The Japanese government has set up a target to deploy two million slow chargers and Five,000 prompt charging points by 2020. [11] Presently all Family Mart convenience stores with sufficient parking space have one space specialized for quick-charge use or are in the process of having one installed. [ citation needed ]

Related movie: