Blog.WSJ.com: Japan Post has begun using the Coms, Toyota Auto Body’s electric vehicles, in central Japan. Toyota Auto Body Co.
A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp. said it began providing four of its single-seat electronic vehicles to post office branches in central Japan for pickup and delivery duties on a trial basis.
Aichi prefecture-based Toyota Auto Body Co. said its vehicles, called Coms, will be the first electric vehicles in Japan to be used for mail delivery. The cars can reach a maximum speed of 60 kilometers an hour, and can run about 50 kilometers between charges. The all-electric cars can be fully charged in about six hours using regular household AC sockets, the company said.
Coms are about 2.5 meters long and 1.1 meter wide and have no doors. The cars received special permission from the land ministry to carry double the load of similar sized vehicles, or up to 60 kilograms.
Toyota Auto Body said it hopes to study how the cars can be used to deliver mail in urban areas during the trial.
A spokeswoman at Toyota Auto Body said the trial will last until March, after which it will determine whether to expand the use of EVs for delivery.
