On December 5th, SG Holdings (SGHD) announced that Justem, a group company of its subsidiary Meito Transport that primarily delivers chilled foods to convenience stores, participated in a demonstration experiment using the battery-swappable light truck "Elf EV" and attended the departure ceremony.
<The ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the departure. From left: Noriyoshi Kosaka, Executive Officer of Meito Transport; Yasushi Ohno, General Manager of Logistics at FamilyMart; Takeharu Yamanaka, Mayor of Yokohama City; Shinsuke Minami, President of Isuzu Motors; Hiroyuki Tsume, Vice President of Itochu Corporation; and Hirofumi Ono, President of Justem.>
The demonstration experiment will be conducted by Isuzu Motors, FamilyMart, Itochu Corporation, and the City of Yokohama.
Three modified "Elf EV" trucks, equipped with a battery that can be replaced simultaneously from both sides, will be deployed to provide route deliveries to approximately 80 FamilyMart stores in Yokohama City.
Since battery replacement can be completed in the same amount of time as refueling a conventional diesel vehicle, it will help reduce the downtime associated with charging, which has been a major obstacle to the introduction of battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Furthermore, Meito Transport and Justem will conduct verification through this initiative, and will be responsible for delivery operations to FamilyMart stores using the "Elf EV" and stations, as well as identifying operational issues obtained from the demonstration experiment.
<Elf EV used in the demonstration>
At the ceremony, representatives from each company gave speeches about the objectives of the demonstration and future prospects. In their speeches, they expressed great expectations that battery-swappable EVs would be effective in solving the challenges of CO2 reduction and shorter charging times in the delivery of 24-hour convenience stores, which are essential for realizing a decarbonized society.
Furthermore, a demonstration of battery replacement was conducted using an actual vehicle and station. The replacement was completed in approximately 7 minutes, and footage of the vehicle running with a fully charged battery was shown.
<Battery replacement process>
Meito Transport and Justem stated that through this demonstration experiment, they will contribute to achieving their objectives and address social and environmental issues, including decarbonization.
