ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) today announced that it commenced delivery demonstration with FamilyMart stores this month as part of the Ministry of the Environment’s “FY2021 Demonstration Project for Combining Development of Battery-Swapping Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energy” (hereinafter “the Project”), for which ITOCHU applied and was selected last year. This demonstration uses battery-swapping mini electric trucks developed in collaboration with a partner companies as well as internal battery packs and battery-swapping stations.

The Project is being conducted in collaboration with ITOCHU’s four partner companies Isuzu Motors Ltd., JFE Engineering Corporation, HKS Co., Ltd., and FamilyMart Co., Ltd. As the jointly developed battery-swapping mini electric trucks, battery packs, and battery-swapping stations are almost ready for demonstration, the Project has shifted to a delivery demonstration phase in which battery-swapping mini electric trucks are used as actual FamilyMart delivery vehicles. With the FamilyMart Misato-Chuo Temperature-controlled Logistics center in Misato City, Saitama as the base, two battery-swapping mini electric trucks will be running a store delivery course to about 80 FamilyMart stores, primarily in Misato City and Yashio City in Saitama, delivering mainly sandwiches and other ready-to-eat food products three trips per day. With this battery-swapping mini electric truck, the battery pack can be replaced in about 3 minutes, so it not only is much quicker than conventionally slow charging but also allows for delivery use, with an estimated reduction in CO₂ of 6.1 t/year per vehicle compared to an internal combustion vehicle running on diesel. Moreover, there are ongoing discussions about linking with renewable energy by installing solar panels on the roofs of battery-swapping stations.

ITOCHU includes “Enhancing our contribution to and engagement with the SDGs through business activities” in the Basic Policies of the Medium-term Management Plan. With this delivery demonstration, the aim is to check and further improve quality, functionality, and safety to prepare the system for practical application as soon as possible. By promoting the use of electric vehicles for commercial purposes in Japan, ITOCHU is contributing to the decarbonization of logistics networks as well as will contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society, sustainable local communities and a reduction in our global environmental footprint.