Micro Tourism & Zero Carbon Drive (1)

Introduction

Recently, we hear news related to electric vehicles almost every day.

For instance,

• By 2030, it is expected that there will be 145 million EVs worldwide. （https://ev2.nissan.co.jp/BLOG/654/）

• In January 2021, it was announced in the policy speech that "100% of new car sales will be electric vehicles by 2035" （https://www.toshibatec.co.jp/products/office/loopsspecial/blog/20210820-68.html）

Moreover, according to this article, other countries besides Japan have also proposed the following policies:

United Kingdom: Ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars by 2030

France: Ban on the sale of fossil fuel vehicles by 2040

China: New car sales will only be for environmentally friendly vehicles (such as EVs and hybrid cars) by 2035

United States: All new car sales in California will be "zero emission vehicles" by 2035

Canada: Ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines, such as gasoline and diesel vehicles, by 2035

I am also hearing opposing opinions regarding this matter, but as a society, it seems that there is a trend towards the proliferation of electric vehicles. Therefore, our company is conducting various research through projects we are involved in.

Additionally, I have heard about the concept of micro tourism proposed by Hoshino Resorts. Specifically, it refers to "short-distance tourism to local or nearby areas within about an hour from home." Moreover, according to their homepage, there was also a message like the following.

In Japan, I strongly agree with the idea of discovering attractive experiences within a distance that can be reached in 1-2 hours from home, which aligns with the concept of Zero Travel (reducing CO2 emissions from EVs and FCVs during travel to virtually zero) that our company is participating in.

By using EVs for this micro tourism, I decided to verify whether comfortable travel is possible or if there are challenges.

Concerns about Riding an EV

However, when it comes to EVs, there are some concerns like the following, especially for those who rarely drive.

- I might run out of charge midway. I'm worried it might happen suddenly.

- I don't really know how to charge it. Thinking about it feels like a hassle.

- I don't know where the charging stations are. I'm unsure if I can reach them while driving.

- I'm worried I might get confused because the operation is different from gasoline cars.

- Charging might take a long time. Repeatedly charging could be time-consuming. I dislike waiting.

There are various reasons for not trying out EVs, but I will report on what it's actually like when a novice driver tries driving one.

Vehicle Used = Tesla Model 3 (Long Range)

Using our company's Tesla Model 3 (Long Range) as the company vehicle.

The driving distance (catalog value) when fully charged is 580km.

However, this time, I start with only 159km left on the charge.

Destination = To the Foot of Mount Fuji (Oshino Hakkai)

Decided to go from the parking lot (Shinagawa Ward) to Oshino Hakkai. After all, it's Mount Fuji.

However, since Mount Fuji is a bit far, I aim for this scenic spot before that.

Source: From Adobe Stock

Source: From Adobe Stock

According to Google Maps, it will take about 1.5 to 2 hours. Here goes the challenge.

Map: Google Maps

Tesla App

The car's door unlock is done via the app. The key icon on the left is for that.

Navigation

With Tesla's standard navigation, you can see directions to charging locations, but it's somewhat hard to read.

The navigation itself is fine for giving directions broadly, but

when traveling on urban highways, it sometimes mistakenly directs you as if you were on a surface street; for example, it should instruct to go left according to the signs, but it tells you to go right.

• It mistakenly directs you as if you were on a surface street while driving on urban highways.

• According to the signs, it should instruct to go left, but it tells you to go right.

So, it often gives unclear directions, so I felt it was necessary to be cautious.

Micro Tourism & Zero Carbon Drive (1)

Introduction

Recently, we hear news related to electric vehicles almost every day.

For instance,

• By 2030, it is expected that there will be 145 million EVs worldwide. （https://ev2.nissan.co.jp/BLOG/654/）

• In January 2021, it was announced in the policy speech that "100% of new car sales will be electric vehicles by 2035" （https://www.toshibatec.co.jp/products/office/loopsspecial/blog/20210820-68.html）

Moreover, according to this article, other countries besides Japan have also proposed the following policies:

United Kingdom: Ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars by 2030

France: Ban on the sale of fossil fuel vehicles by 2040

China: New car sales will only be for environmentally friendly vehicles (such as EVs and hybrid cars) by 2035

United States: All new car sales in California will be "zero emission vehicles" by 2035

Canada: Ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines, such as gasoline and diesel vehicles, by 2035

I am also hearing opposing opinions regarding this matter, but as a society, it seems that there is a trend towards the proliferation of electric vehicles. Therefore, our company is conducting various research through projects we are involved in.

Additionally, I have heard about the concept of micro tourism proposed by Hoshino Resorts. Specifically, it refers to "short-distance tourism to local or nearby areas within about an hour from home." Moreover, according to their homepage, there was also a message like the following.

In Japan, I strongly agree with the idea of discovering attractive experiences within a distance that can be reached in 1-2 hours from home, which aligns with the concept of Zero Travel (reducing CO2 emissions from EVs and FCVs during travel to virtually zero) that our company is participating in.

By using EVs for this micro tourism, I decided to verify whether comfortable travel is possible or if there are challenges.

Concerns about Riding an EV

However, when it comes to EVs, there are some concerns like the following, especially for those who rarely drive.

- I might run out of charge midway. I'm worried it might happen suddenly.

- I don't really know how to charge it. Thinking about it feels like a hassle.

- I don't know where the charging stations are. I'm unsure if I can reach them while driving.

- I'm worried I might get confused because the operation is different from gasoline cars.

- Charging might take a long time. Repeatedly charging could be time-consuming. I dislike waiting.

There are various reasons for not trying out EVs, but I will report on what it's actually like when a novice driver tries driving one.

Vehicle Used = Tesla Model 3 (Long Range)

Using our company's Tesla Model 3 (Long Range) as the company vehicle.

The driving distance (catalog value) when fully charged is 580km.

However, this time, I start with only 159km left on the charge.

Destination = To the Foot of Mount Fuji (Oshino Hakkai)

Decided to go from the parking lot (Shinagawa Ward) to Oshino Hakkai. After all, it's Mount Fuji.

However, since Mount Fuji is a bit far, I aim for this scenic spot before that.

Source: From Adobe Stock

Source: From Adobe Stock

According to Google Maps, it will take about 1.5 to 2 hours. Here goes the challenge.

Map: Google Maps

Tesla App

The car's door unlock is done via the app. The key icon on the left is for that.

Navigation

With Tesla's standard navigation, you can see directions to charging locations, but it's somewhat hard to read.

The navigation itself is fine for giving directions broadly, but

when traveling on urban highways, it sometimes mistakenly directs you as if you were on a surface street; for example, it should instruct to go left according to the signs, but it tells you to go right.

• It mistakenly directs you as if you were on a surface street while driving on urban highways.

• According to the signs, it should instruct to go left, but it tells you to go right.

So, it often gives unclear directions, so I felt it was necessary to be cautious.