TOKYO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) — The Japanese government has doubled its target for the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to 300,000 outlets by 2030, 10 times the current levels.
In new guidelines released Wednesday, Japan’s industry ministry outlined a plan to support the establishment of standard EV chargers mainly at condominiums and commercial facilities and fast chargers chiefly at expressway rest areas.
Japan currently has about 30,000 EV chargers. Under the new plan, the number of standard charger outlets across the nation will increase to 270,000 and fast charger outlets to 30,000 by 2030.
The ministry aims to accelerate the installation of EV chargers in a bid to achieve its target of increasing the proportion of electrified vehicles, including hybrids, to 100 percent of its new car sales by 2035.
Japan had initially set a target of 150,000 charging stations by 2030 in its Green Growth Strategy. But with Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota Motor expected to increase domestic sales of EVs, the government concluded that it is necessary to revise its target for chargers, which are key to expanding the use of EVs.
