TOKYO —
Nobuhiro Tajima used to develop sports cars until 2008 when he was hit by the global recession generated by the bankruptcy of U.S. financial services company Lehman Brothers.
‘‘Originally, my core business was motor sports,’’ he said. ‘‘I put all my energy into making sports cars, which was opposite to environmentally friendly cars.’‘
His Tajima Motor Corp in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, is among a growing number of midsized and small Japanese companies embarking on the development of electric vehicles as consumers are becoming increasingly more aware of the environment.
Rising to the challenge of producing a mini-sports EV, he put some thought into reducing parts to make it light. As a result, he succeeded in producing a distinctive, slender and low body car measuring about 2.5 meters in total length.
Tajima plans to put the single-driver ‘‘EV Mini Sports’’ on sale in June saying that he has already received an order for 3O cars.
He also plans to sell a kit for use in converting a gas-fed car into an electric vehicle. He has already received inquiries from other countries, including New Zealand.
Zerosports Co, an auto part maker in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, plans to turn out EVs in the range of several thousand units, including those converted from fuel cars, in partnership with other parts makers.
The company under President Tokushi Nakashima has been wrestling with the development of EVs since 1998. It has fashioned a single rider compact car and a mini truck.
It delivered two collection and distribution EVs converted from gas-driven cars to Japan Post Service Co last July. The post service company said the EVs are environmentally friendly and quiet, adding that it has received favorable reactions from those at collection and distribution sites.
Nakashima’s company received about 200 million yen in investment from a major oil wholesaler last year. He said, ‘‘We’d like to extend technical and other support to enterprises hoping to develop electric cars.’‘
ZMP, a Tokyo-based company dealing with the manufacture of robots, sells EVs with an emphasis on information and technology. The chassis of the car is ready for installation of sensors to avoid a collision or a function capable of connecting the vehicle with the Internet according to the needs of a customer.
The company expects demand for the vehicle will come for its use for research and transportation purposes at medical facilities.
ZMP will make available to customers the technology that serves as the basis of controlling the vehicle.
‘‘Confining the technology to the company alone is not good,’’ said Hisashi Taniguchi, the company president, adding that he hopes that better products may come from opening the technology to customers.
There are less than 10 midsized and small companies in the country that sell EVs with government subsidies, according to the Next Generation Vehicle Promotion Center. Mitsubishi Motors Corp and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd sell minivehicles while Nissan Motor Co is expected to sell passenger cars at the end of this year.
Many corporations are likely to join the sale of vehicles with government subsidies from now on, said a center official. He added that maintaining uniformity of standards and security will become problems.
Nakashima said mid- and small-sized companies need to establish an organization.
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