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], MEDISEO Corporation [Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Kuniaki Imagawa], 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: Nozomu Mori, hereinafter 'Kansai Electric Power'] have announced the construction of a 'charger sharing' model. This initiative allows pharmaceutical companies to share EV charging infrastructure for company vehicles used by MRs (Medical Representatives), aiming to contribute to carbon neutrality in the pharmaceutical industry.

1. Background and Purpose

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

In response, as part of efforts to develop charging infrastructure for carbon neutrality, the companies have built a 'charger sharing' model. This involves installing EV chargers at MEDISEO ALCs*, which are frequent destinations for MRs, and opening them to multiple pharmaceutical companies, thereby contributing to the promotion of EV adoption across the industry.

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

2. Features and Roles of Each Company

This initiative involves installing two 6kW standard EV chargers at each of MEDISEO's Saitama ALC (Misato, Saitama), Nagoya ALC (Kiyosu, Aichi), and Minami-Osaka ALC (Yao, Osaka) using Kansai Electric Power's 'Kanmobi Charge' service. It aims to support the pharmaceutical industry from infrastructure development to the promotion of EV adoption by allowing participating pharmaceutical companies (by prior application) 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 sector, provides one-stop EV support, including vehicle selection, maintenance leasing, charger installation, and charging card issuance. They will propose this scheme to pharmaceutical manufacturers to improve operational efficiency and boost EV adoption.

The MEDIPAL Group, primarily engaged in wholesale within the 'Medical, Health, and Beauty' fields, views the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as an urgent task for a company involved in distribution. As part of their decarbonization efforts, they are promoting the adoption of company EVs and expanding charging infrastructure. By opening their chargers to multiple pharmaceutical companies during the day, they contribute to social infrastructure development for EV promotion.

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