Exploring directions for a low-carbon society adapted to local characteristics
— JRI to implement "EV Car-sharing Project" in Kyoto —

With a view to exploring directions for a low-carbon society adapted to local characteristics, the Japan Research Institute, Limited (JRI) is to implement an electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing project on behalf of Kyoto City Government.

To make the global warming countermeasures that Japan has set out to adopt a reality, the government and private sector both face strong pressure to implement measures to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in transportation, which is one of the largest sources of such emissions. Having identified the potential of car sharing as a means of reducing the overall numbers of vehicles on Japan's city streets, JRI has been testing car-sharing programs based on EVs (which emit no CO2 while running) in various parts of Japan, and investigating how they can be adapted to local characteristics.

Kyoto has been designated as an "environmental model city" and is aiming to become a pedestrian city with a view to reducing CO2 emissions. JRI will be implementing an EV car-sharing project as a research project on behalf of Kyoto City Government and exploring how the car-sharing system can be adapted to local characteristics. The project will involve loaning EVs to local residents, businesses, tourists, etc. free of charge. JRI will draw on its extensive experience (including the implementation of Japan's first EV car-sharing model project in Kanagawa Prefecture and an EV car-sharing project aimed at tourists in the Oirase area of Aomori Prefecture) in its operation. JRI also plans to collect travel data from a large number of users and consider policy measures to promote the wider use of EVs, such as how best to establish a charging station infrastructure in urbanized area.

The project will involve 5 EVs that the City of Kyoto purchased in fiscal 2009 and 2 EVs that it will be purchasing this fiscal year, which will be loaned to local residents, tourists and businesses, free of charge, from zones in the city center (Oike underground parking lot) and 3 peripheral areas, via an unmanned vehicle leasing system.

For more information on the content of this report, please contact Kota Asai, the Japan Research Institute, Limited.

E-mail：asai.kota@jri.co.jp