Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has today concluded a disaster cooperation agreement with Minato City in Tokyo together with Minato Mitsubishi Motors Co., Ltd.
located in the same city. MMC is promoting the DENDO Community Support Program, which aims to create systems that can quickly provide electric vehicles to the local government when disasters occur. Minato City is the 18th local government in Japan, and the first in Tokyo, to conclude the agreement.
The purpose of these agreements is to eliminate time taken to confirm required information with local governments when disasters occur, and to quickly provide disaster-affected areas, evacuation sites, and other places with MMC’s electric vehicles that can serve as power sources, such as the Outlander PHEV, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. As many companies are located in Minato City, a large number of people could be affected in the case of a disaster, including those unable to return home due to transportation disruptions. Securing electric power is necessary in such situations, and afflicted people can leverage the Outlander PHEV, which can store electricity generated by the engine in its high-capacity drive battery and supply it externally when needed.
“As a company that has its headquarters in Minato City, it is profoundly meaningful to us that we are able to make a contribution to people here,” said Takao Kato, chief executive officer, MMC, at the agreement signing ceremony held today. “At Mitsubishi Motors, we strongly aspire to provide safety and peace of mind to everyone in the City by securing electric power during emergencies utilizing our products and alleviating communities’ uncertainties.”
MMC aims to enter into disaster cooperation agreements with local governments throughout Japan by fiscal year 2022. As more people nationwide become increasingly aware of the need to prepare for natural disasters, MMC will work together with local governments to strengthen support systems while promoting understanding of EVs/PHEVs so they would be widely used.