Tokyo, February 5, 2020 – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has concluded disaster cooperation agreements with Ofunato City on February 3 and with Rikuzentakata City on February 5, both in Iwate Prefecture.
The local governments in the prefecture including these two cities as well as Yamada Town, with which MMC concluded the same agreement last month, suffered heavy damage caused by a tsunami during the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Ever since, those governments and the residents have been working together to strengthen their disaster prevention systems.
MMC is promoting the DENDO Community Support Program, which aims to create systems that can quickly provide electric vehicles to the local government when disasters occur. MMC will continue accelerating cooperation with Iwate Prefecture and other local governments that have been affected by disasters.
The purpose of this program is to reduce time taken to confirm necessary information with local governments when disasters occur, and to quickly provide disaster-affected areas with MMC's electric vehicles that can serve as power sources, such as the Outlander PHEV, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Since Iwate Prefecture has a high-level of disaster prevention awareness after the lesson it learned from the Earthquake, Iwate Mitsubishi Motor Sales has been working to facilitate understanding for the program. As a result, MMC has agreements with 10 local governments within the prefecture as of February 5. Since the launch of the program in August 2019, this is the quickest achievement among all prefectures in Japan*.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, MMC provided the affected areas with its electric vehicle i-MiEV to assist with recovery and rebuilding efforts. In addition, Outlander PHEV, which was later released on the market, has a function that can store the energy generated by its engine in its high-capacity drive battery as an external power supply when needed. With natural disasters growing increasingly severe in recent years, the value of these electric vehicles is being recognized. Last year in September, Outlander PHEVs proved to be helpful at social welfare facilities when Typhoon No. 15 caused extensive blackouts in Chiba Prefecture.
Going forward, MMC will continue working together with local governments throughout Japan that prepare for disasters, while promoting the understanding and widespread use of EVs/PHEVs, as well as strengthening support systems for disasters.
*As of February 5, MMC is partnered with 25 local governments in Japan.
MMC has concluded disaster cooperation agreements with the following local governments in Iwate Prefecture (in order of when the agreements were concluded).
December 2019: Shiwa Town, Iwate Town, Ichinohe Town, Ichinoseki City
January 2020: Yamada Town, Hirono Town, Nishiwaga Town, Iwaizumi Town
February 2020: Ofunato City, Rikuzentakata City
(MMC will conclude the agreements with Shizukuishi Town on February 6, and Hachimantai City on February 7.)
About MITSUBISHI MOTORS
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has a competitive edge in SUVs and pickup trucks, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The company launched the i-MiEV – the first mass-produced electric vehicle in 2009, which was followed by the OUTLANDER PHEV in 2013 – a plug-in hybrid market leader in Japan and Europe. Mitsubishi Motors has 30,000 employees and a global footprint with production facilities in Japan, Thailand, China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Russia. Models, such as the PAJERO SPORT/MONTERO SPORT, TRITON/L200, OUTLANDER, ASX/OUTLANDER SPORT/RVR and XPANDER play a major role in achieving its growth. The global sales volume in fiscal year 2018 was 1,244,000 units, and the net sales of Mitsubishi Motors for fiscal year 2018 was 2.51 trillion yen. Mitsubishi Motors is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.