Four small companies in the Kansai region have jointly developed an electric vehicle with three wheels, three seats and a purely traditional Japanese design. They hope the vehicle will be a tourist attraction in ancient cities like Kyoto and Nara. The traditional Japanese design includes the vehicles two doors made of “washi” (traditional Japanese paper) coated with vermilion lacquer. The electric vehicle also sports more modern technologies, such as lithium-ion batteries that can be recharged using home electrical outlets. The batteries can drive the car at speeds of up to 40 kph.
The three-seat three-wheeled electric vehicle is already drawing inquiries from travel agencies and other tourism-related firms. The vehicle costs approximately ¥2.30 million ($24,950) excluding personnel expenses. The companies, which plan to start marketing it next year on a build-to-order basis, are trying to lower the cost to less than ¥1 million ($10,850). Yodogawa Co., based in Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, played the leading role in the car’s development.
