Case Study: Charging Ahead in Japan

With retail having a key role to play in public EV charging provision, we’re excited to see EV100 members stepping up and providing their customers access to EV charging across their stores and malls. Having installed nearly 1,200 charge points at 78 locations, shopping mall developer AEON MALL is leading the way in Japan.

Access to charging infrastructure isn’t just a barrier for EV100 members; it’s one for the general public too. For those that can’t charge their vehicles at home or at work, lack of public charging can contribute to range anxiety and lack of confidence in the EV transition.

AEON MALL is playing a vital role in alleviating these concerns. A member since 2017, AEON MALL has installed charging at almost all its shopping malls in Japan, with plans to further increase their charging provision in the early part of 2021.

EV charging has become an increasingly valuable part of the customer experience for AEON MALL, with utilisation rates of their quick chargers steadily increasing over the past 5 years. Now, informed by their experience, their new stores start with a basic installation of two fast and normal chargers ahead of expansion based on their usage.

Long term, AEON MALL’s aim is to install up to 17 fast chargers in each mall by 2030, depending on the size of the mall.

Innovation is at the heart of their approach. At their Sakai Teppocho mall in Osaka, AEON Mall has conducted tests using Vehicle to Home (V2H) technology to utilise electricity stored in the batteries of EVs to help provide power to the mall when electricity demand is at its highest. In return, customers who participate are awarded points to use at AEON MALL stores.

With the transition to EVs being accelerated in Japan, progress by EV100 members such as AEON MALL will give confidence that public charging can play, and is already playing, a crucial role.

This case study is from our EV100 2021 Progress and Insights Report. Please click here to read the report.