TOKYO -- A group of Japan's leading vending companies is set to deploy electrical vehicle charging stations alongside the beverage machines it operates throughout the nation.
The equipment is set to begin rolling out late this month. Plans call for establishing an estimated 10,000 charging points over the next 12 months, either alongside existing beverage machines or at new locations.
Heading the project is Japanese vending manufacturer and operator Forking Co., which reportedly owns more than a million vending machines. Panasonic Electric Works will supply the chargers, and SoftBank Telecom and SoftBank Mobile have signed on to provide telecommunications services to connect the charging systems.
