Better Place, a U.S. developer of electric vehicle infrastructure, said Wednesday it will partner with Tokyo taxi operator Nihon Kotsu on a pilot project for cabs using switchable batteries next January.
The California-based venture will build a battery switch station near Roppongi Hills in Minato Ward to improve infrastructure for the environmentally friendly vehicle.
"Japan has a very large taxi market. I believe EVs with switchable batteries will spread to many other Asian countries, if they succeed in Japan," Kiyotaka Fujii, president of Better Place Japan and head of business development for the Asia-Pacific region, told a news conference.