Sunday, June 3, 2012

No. 25: A restaurant chain installs chargers for electric vehicles for free charging (June 4, 2012)

Management trend
Skylark, one of Japan’s leading restaurant chains, will start to install chargers for EVs in its restaurants across the country for free charging. In the initial stage, it will install them in 900 restaurants, one third of its total restaurants, nationwide in less than five years. The charging cost is estimated at several tens of yen per charge, and company bears it. Skylark plans to absorb the cost increase by introducing LED lighting inside the restaurant. Everyone can charge his car with the charger, even though he is not a restaurant guest.

This is the first attempt of a national restaurant chain to offer this kind of service. The charger to be installed will be a standard charger of 200 V about tens of thousand yen a unit, but the company plans to install quick chargers more than one million yen a unit as well. The total investment is estimated at several hundred million yen. Convenience store chains are also increasing the number of stores equipped with charger. The leading five convenience store chains have already installed chargers in a total of 52 stores.

Automakers are also busily increasing the number of dealers equipped with charger. Toyota installed standard chargers in 1,200 dealers, while Nissan installed standard chargers in 2,200 dealers and quick chargers in 400 dealers. Osaka Prefecture is constructing the “Osaka Infra System Service” network for better charging service in alliance with Enegate, a subsidiary of Kansai Electric Power Company, Nihon Unisys, and Kanematsu.      

 The quick charger that Osaka is spreading for electric vehicles

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