Sumitomo Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation Power & Mobility Co., Ltd. have delivered an EV bus that has been remodeled from an existing diesel bus (Retrofit EV Bus) together with a quick charger to Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd., which operates buses for passenger and charter buses, hotels and other businesses in Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture. The bus have gone into service on September 9, 2024.

The newly delivered vehicle was originally a diesel bus manufactured by J-Bus Corporation, Japan's largest bus manufacturer that has been converted into an EV bus by replacing its diesel engine with motors and a battery. Each bus has an average range of 150 km per charge and is expected to cut CO2 emissions by 20 tons annually—a 48% reduction compared to traditional diesel buses. Additionally, CO2 emissions from manufacturing are estimated to decrease by 40 tons, representing a 70% reduction compared to the production of new EV buses.

As Japan aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, the bus industry is increasingly adopting EVs and other electric vehicles. However, challenges remain, such as the high cost of electric buses, which are nearly double the price of diesel ones, and the need for optimized charging infrastructure, bus management and power procurement.

To address these challenges and support the wider adoption of EV buses, the Sumitomo Corporation Group has been working since 2021 to retrofit buses older than 10 years into EVs at about half the cost of a new EV bus. In June 2022, retrofitted EV buses developed using technology from RAC Electric Vehicles., Taiwan’s largest electric bus manufacturer (in which Sumitomo Corporation acquired a stake in 2019), were delivered to Nishitetsu Bus Kitakyushu Co., Ltd. Currently, 23 domestically manufactured retrofitted EV buses are in operation in the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu (in Kyushu).

In addition to retrofitted EV buses and quick chargers, the Sumitomo Corporation Group will promote carbon neutrality in the bus industry by providing bus operators with charging management and electricity planning services designed to minimize energy costs. This initiative supports decarbonization by reducing CO2 emissions and contributes to a circular economy by reusing existing bus fleets.