Japan is an interesting place. It’s also a heavily urbanized place; unless you live out in the boonies, and there are some places like that in Japan, you really don’t need a car. In the cities, between the trains, the subways, and the bus systems, you can get around very well. For some time now, electric vehicles have been gaining ground in the Land of the Rising Sun; your typical trip in Japan is shorter, and to obtain a permit for a vehicle, one has to have off-street parking, which is where one can plug in.
Here’s the remarkable bit: Japan’s own automobile industry produces a variety of electric vehicles, but they are facing some serious competition – from Tesla.
Tesla is seeing robust sales in Japan. This was hinted at in data from the Japan Automobile Importers Association’s “others” category, which indicated a 56% yearly increase to 2,120 units in…
