Contributing to Carbon Neutrality in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Launching Shared EV Charging Infrastructure for Company Vehicles

Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service Company, Limited (SMAS) [Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Koji Aso], Mediceo Corporation [Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Kuniaki Imagawa; hereinafter 'Mediceo'], a consolidated subsidiary of Medipal Holdings Corporation [Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Shuichi Watanabe; hereinafter 'Medipal'], and The Kansai Electric Power Company, Incorporated [Headquarters: Kita-ku, Osaka; President and Director: Nozomu Mori; hereinafter 'Kansai Electric Power'] have established a 'charger sharing' model to allow the joint use of EV charging infrastructure for company vehicles used by pharmaceutical company MRs (Medical Representatives), aiming to contribute to the realization of carbon neutrality in the pharmaceutical industry.

1. Background and Purpose

In the pharmaceutical industry, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from pharmaceutical manufacturing and company-managed vehicles is an urgent issue. A survey conducted by SMAS among pharmaceutical companies revealed that while the transition to EVs for company vehicles is progressing, the longer charging times compared to refueling gasoline vehicles and the difficulty in securing charging locations for MRs—who frequently travel directly between sites—have become bottlenecks to widespread adoption.

Against this backdrop, as part of efforts to develop charging infrastructure for carbon neutrality in the pharmaceutical industry, we have built a 'charger sharing' model that installs EV chargers at Mediceo ALCs*, which are frequent destinations for MRs, and opens them to multiple pharmaceutical companies, thereby contributing to the promotion of EV adoption across the entire industry.

*ALC (Area Logistics Center): High-function logistics centers that handle ethical pharmaceuticals, medical materials, etc.

2. Features of this Initiative and Roles of Each Company

This initiative involves installing two 'Kanmobi Charge' EV charging service units (6kW standard chargers) provided by Kansai Electric Power at Mediceo's Saitama ALC (Misato City, Saitama Prefecture), Nagoya ALC (Kiyosu City, Aichi Prefecture), and Minami-Osaka ALC (Yao City, Osaka Prefecture). It aims to provide end-to-end support for the pharmaceutical industry, from 'developing charging infrastructure' to 'promoting the adoption of company EVs,' by allowing participating pharmaceutical companies (advance application required) to use these as daytime en-route charging spots.

SMAS, as a leading company in the auto leasing industry with a strong track record in EV adoption for the pharmaceutical industry, provides one-stop EV support, including vehicle selection, maintenance leasing, charging equipment installation, and charging card issuance. We will propose the use of this scheme to pharmaceutical manufacturers to boost operational efficiency and promote the adoption of company EVs.

The Medipal Group, whose primary business is wholesaling in the fields of 'medicine, health, and beauty,' views the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as an urgent issue for a company involved in distribution and is promoting decarbonization efforts. As part of these efforts, we are promoting the adoption of company EVs and expanding charging infrastructure. By opening our on-site chargers to multiple pharmaceutical companies during the day, we will contribute to the development of social infrastructure for EV promotion.

Kansai Electric Power supports the carbon neutrality of the pharmaceutical industry by proposing and providing various decarbonization solutions. 'Kanmobi Charge' is a corporate EV charging service that can be introduced with zero initial costs. We provide a dedicated app and system for charging reservations and billing.