Electric Scooter-Sharing Service to Be Tested on Southern Japan Island

Tokyo, Sept. 28 (Jiji Press)--Sumitomo Corp. <8053> said Thursday that it will test an electric scooter-sharing service on Ishigaki Island in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa starting by the end of March next year. The Japanese trading house will carry out the test in a partnership with the Ishigaki city government. The sharing service is designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that are increasing in line with a surge in the number of tourists to the island, as electric scooters do not emit the heat-trapping gas while running. Sumitomo and the city government think the service will help balance tourist promotion with environmental protection. The service will use battery-swapping scooters and charging stations developed by Taiwan's Gogoro Inc. Four charging stations to be installed on the island are expected to be utilized for emergency electricity supply in the event of disasters. Sumitomo plans to expand the service to other Japanese cities. Gogoro provides electric scooter-sharing services in Taiwan, Berlin and Paris. END