Domestic automakers led by Nissan Motor Co., producer of the zero-emission Leaf car, said they'll team up to build up the number of the charging stations across the country to speed up adoption of electric cars.
Nissan, Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. agreed to share costs to increase the number of fast-charging and regular stations, they said in a statement Monday.
There are about 1,700 quick chargers and 3,000 normal chargers at present, a level considered insufficient, they said.
While electric cars have struggled to catch on with mainstream buyers worldwide, pressure is building on Japanese automakers as competition intensifies from companies in the U.S.
Tesla Motors Inc., maker of the Model S sedan, last month unveiled a system that can replace an old car battery with a new one in 90 seconds — faster than it takes to fill up the tank in a gasoline car.
The most common type of fast charger in Japan is called CHAdeMO, which can charge electric cars within 30 minutes.