Ubiden to install 150,000 EV chargers at Japanese residences by 2027

Ubiden, an EV charging service provider in Japan, plans to install 150,000 EV chargers at residences in the country. It will facilitate mostly condominiums with these EV chargers.

Ubiden has collaborated with Japanese condominium management companies Daikyo Astage and Anabuki Community, subsidiaries of Orix Real Estate, to install EV chargers at their condominiums. Daikyo Astage focuses on three major metropolitan areas, while Anabuki Community covers major regional cities nationwide. Together, the duo manages over 540,000 units across Japan.

Ubiden plans to install EV charging facilities in existing condominiums. The company says the difficulty of charging EVs in apartments is a major hurdle in their widespread adoption. Through the deal with the Orix Real Estate subsidiaries, it aims to solve this problem and promote EVs.

Daikyo Astage is urging housing owner associations to install connectors before government subsidies end in March next year, Kenji Yamamoto, the company’s manager responsible for the project said. As EV users are limited in the country, obtaining approval from a majority of the residents is difficult, Yamamoto added. He suggested that EV chargers have become a basic amenity, saying they will increase the value of a property in the same way as an elevator.

“Through the partnership between Daikyo Astage and Anabuki Community, we will further promote the installation of EV charging facilities in existing condominiums and realize the convenience and comfort of EV charging in apartment buildings,” Norio Yamaguchi, President and CEO of Ubiden, added.

While some EV charging providers charge customers based on time, the Japanese company charges based on consumption. Customers need to pay for a subscription plan to use its EV charging service. Ubiden offers plans ranging from ¥1,780 (approx. €11) for 30 kWh to ¥8,000 (€48) for 210 kWh. So far, it has installed 2,000 EV chargers across Japan.

Japan has allocated approximately ¥8 billion (€48 million) to subsidies for installing EV chargers at condominiums. In Tokyo, the metropolitan government has dedicated an additional ¥3.6 billion (approx. €22 million) for this purpose. The country aims to set up 300,000 EV charging points, including 200,000 in apartments, by 2030. Government subsidies can cover as much as 95% of the cost of installing an EV charger in Japan.

ubiden.com (in Japanese), bnnbloomberg.ca