Contribution to Realization of Carbon Neutrality in the Transportation Industry Using an Open Platform through Cooperation in the Business of Optimal Operation Management of Commercial e-Mobility, such as Trucks and Buses

Management

Apr 22, 2021

Hino Motors, Ltd. (headquarters: Hino City, Tokyo, President: Yoshio Shimo; hereinafter referred to as Hino Motors) and the Kansai Electric Power Company, Incorporated (headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka, President: Takashi Morimoto; hereinafter referred to as KEPCO) entered into a joint-venture agreement for starting up a new company named CUBE-LINX with the aim of resolving issues facing the transportation industry regarding adoption and operation of commercial e-mobility, such as trucks and buses (hereinafter referred to as e-mobility). We will contribute to the promotion of mobility in the industry by providing solutions for smooth use of e-mobility by taking full advantage of their benefits.

As companies are required to propel forward environmentally friendly business operations in all kinds of industries, it is essential to cut down on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from vehicles on the road in order to make the transportation industry carbon neutral. While the number of e-mobility adopted is growing, issues facing the transportation industry are becoming apparent. For instance, the adoption of electric vehicles requires going through complicated processes with several business operators, including not only concluding contracts for vehicles, but installing charging facilities and concluding contracts for using electricity as well, which is an obstacle to electric vehicle adoption. Furthermore, meticulous management of vehicle operation and charging is necessary in daily operation in order to prevent a decline in the vehicle operating rate and electricity shortage when e-mobility are in operation due to charging inefficiency.

Hino Motors and KEPCO endeavor to offer solutions to issues in e-mobility adoption and operation by utilizing their knowledge of commercial vehicles and electricity through the newly founded company. Aiming to build a platform open to a variety of business operators, including vehicle manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, IT vendors, and power companies, we will provide packaged solutions optimized according to each user's business model and purpose of using e-mobility as a one-stop service at a fixed monthly fee.

<Services>

  1. Support for e-mobility adoption
    We offer hardware, such as vehicles and charging facilities, and IT systems required when adopting e-mobility at a monthly fee.
  2. Management for optimizing e-mobility operation and energy use
    By fusing operation management system with energy management system, we come up with optimal charging and vehicle allocation plans, map out routes to drive with the remaining battery capacity taken into account, and comprehensively manage electricity demand from offices and vehicles.

CUBE-LINX.png

<Comments of President Shimo of Hino Motors>
"Maximizing the effect of power train electrification is one of the important perspectives for the whole society toward achieving carbon neutrality. Through cooperation with KEPCO, we would like to support customers' environmentally conscious business operations and contribute to making the transportation industry carbon neutral by offering comprehensive solutions ranging from assistance in adopting e-mobility to management that helps users operate vehicles reliably every day."

<Comments of President Morimoto of KEPCO>
"Our company is making various efforts regarding both supply and demand of energy aiming to realize a zero-carbon society. This project with Hino Motors, Ltd. is a pioneering endeavor in that regard. Through this project, we would like to contribute to popularizing e-mobility by building a platform fully open to business operators and offering customers long-term, one-stop support from e-mobility adoption to daily vehicle operation as a service provider."

We will expand the service and grow the business while cooperating with multifarious partners in related industries and keeping pace with development of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in logistics. The platform will cover all kinds of commercial vehicles in the future, including operation management of self-driving vehicles. We will contribute to prosperity of customers' businesses and the transportation industry, and sustainable growth of society as a whole through popularization of e-mobility from a user's perspective and comprehensive optimization of commercial vehicle operation.

■ Overview of the new company

Company Name CUBE-LINX Co., Ltd.
Address 34th floor of Shinjuku Nomura Building, 1-26-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Paid-in Capital

¥500 million (Hino Motors: 66.7%, KEPCO: 33.3%)

Representative Director

President & CEO Tsuyoshi Kiriake (Hino Motors)

Founded in

Early May of 2021

Start of Business Operation

Scheduled at the beginning of 2022

Business

Development and operation of a commercial mobility-based platform, provision of management services

CUBE-LINX_2.jpg


Hino's Contribution toward realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Hino has taken on multifaced solutions as value provision to the customers and society by addressing the four goals together with the targets of,1) zero fatal traffic accidents with Hino vehicles, 2) significant CO2 emissions reductions, 3) support for the development of our customers' business, and 4) further streamlining the flow of people and goods, in order to achieve a prosperous and livable, sustainable society where people and goods can move freely safely and efficiently.
This case will contribute to realizing the SDGs targets as follows through the activities with our partners that have the same dreams.

Realizing a society in which people and goods can get to where they need to go safely, reliably and in an optimum manner with environmental responsibility
We seek to achieve a prosperous and livable, sustainable society through zero fatal traffic accidents with Hino vehicles, significant CO2 emissions reductions, and further streamlining the flow of people and goods.

Minimizing environmental impact in each step of the truck and bus business
Under Hino Environmental Challenge 2050 (hino-global.com) we seek to minimize our environmental impact that truck and bus affect to the earth through various environmental initiatives covering prevention of global warming, resource circulation, and biodiversity conservation.

Developing partners that have the same dreams (Providing solutions to societal issues by bringing together all the competencies)
In addition to our collaboration with the Toyota Group, we aggressively pursues the creation of partnerships with like-minded organizations and provides solutions to societal issues.

(FYI)
Hino's Strategies and Initiatives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Realizing a society in which people and goods can get to where they need to go safely, reliably and in an optimum manner with environmental responsibility
Minimizing environmental impact in each step of the truck and bus business
Developing partners that have the same dreams

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