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], a consolidated subsidiary of Medipal Holdings Corporation [Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Shuichi Watanabe], and The Kansai Electric Power Company, Incorporated [Headquarters: Kita-ku, Osaka; President: Nozomu Mori] have established a 'charger sharing' model. This model allows pharmaceutical companies to share EV charging infrastructure for company vehicles used by Medical Representatives (MRs), 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 of securing charging locations for MRs—who frequently travel directly between sites—have become bottlenecks to adoption. To address this, as part of efforts to build charging infrastructure for carbon neutrality, the three companies have established a 'charger sharing' model. This involves installing EV chargers at Mediceo 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 pharmaceuticals and medical materials. 2. Features and Roles This initiative involves installing two 6kW standard EV chargers at Mediceo's Saitama ALC (Misato, Saitama), Nagoya ALC (Kiyosu, Aichi), and Minami-Osaka ALC (Yao, Osaka), utilizing Kansai Electric Power's 'Kanmobi Charge' service. Participating pharmaceutical companies (by prior application) can use these as daytime en-route charging spots. The initiative aims to provide end-to-end support for the industry, from 'developing charging infrastructure' to 'promoting the adoption of company EVs.' SMAS, a leader in the auto leasing industry with extensive experience in EV adoption for the pharmaceutical sector, provides one-stop support including vehicle selection, maintenance leasing, charging equipment installation, and charging card issuance. They will propose this scheme to pharmaceutical manufacturers to boost operational efficiency and 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 distribution-focused company. As part of their decarbonization efforts, they are promoting EV adoption and expanding charging infrastructure. By opening their chargers to multiple pharmaceutical companies during the day, they are contributing to social infrastructure 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.