The Japanese, well renowned for being extremely forward thinking when it comes to technology, have yet again elevated their status as pioneers in this field. In a recent AFP report it has been revealed that up to 10 Japanese vending companies are embarking on a new venture which, if successful, will prove to be revolutionary for the electric car.

It has long been feared that the electric car will be unreliable and ineffective for road users. This is because many people worry that the battery on the car will run flat before it is able to reach a charging station, leaving the driver stranded. A situation which is likely to occur at the moment due to the scarcity of charging sites, a problem that is apparent in countries all around the world. Although the manufacturers of electric cars may be looking to solve this problem, it appears that Japanese companies are once again leaps and bounds ahead of them.

A consortium of vending companies, including Forking Co. and Panasonic Electric Works, two large and influential vending companies, are currently working on plans to create vending machines which will allow electric cars to plug in and charge from them. These companies are in a good position to successfully provide these vending machines; Forking Co. is linked to business companies that together own around 1.2 million vending machines across Japan which is nearly half the national total according to officials.

The plan, as it stands currently, is to install these machines in places where beverage vending machines are already in place, or in locations where there are plans to establish new machines. It is estimated that up to 10,000 charging machines will be created and deployed, with the first wave starting towards the end of March.

If these charging machines are shown to be effective then it could be the kick start that the electric car market needs. Helping to ease fears and put aside existing prejudices which are currently holding back sales of electric cars.