Tokyo Electric, Fuji Heavy to develop electric vehicle

TOKYO September 3, 2005: Tokyo Electric Power Co and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd said Friday they will jointly develop an environmentally friendly electric vehicle based on Fuji Heavy's "Subaru R1e" prototype EV. Tokyo Electric intends to use the planned vehicle for marketing, bill collection and other work.

The R1e runs for up to 120 kilometers per charge. Vehicles that Tokyo Electric workers use cover a distance of less than 80 km per day on average. The two companies concluded they can develop a practical EV while conducting demonstration experiments with the R1e.