The Japanese government and private sector are making new efforts to promote electric vehicles by making it easier to charge EVs.

The industry ministry in August doubled its target for installing EV charging points from the 150,000 stations announced in 2021, to 300,000 across the country by the year 2030.

A company in Ibaraki Prefecture near Tokyo is marketing a portable EV charger to corporate customers to make electric vehicles more attractive. The battery-and-charger combination is available to rent from this month.

The units are kept in the user's car, which can run for about 80 kilometers when four chargers are used. The company says it developed the system for when an EV's battery goes flat in a place with no charging stations.

Kawai Hiroo, Bell Energy, says "Running out of power is a big concern for customers who switch from gasoline cars. I hope we can promote the spread of EVs in this market."

The Japan Automobile Federation began trials of the unit last month for members of its roadside assistance service.