Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced on October 4 that it has concluded disaster cooperation agreements with Okayama Prefecture and with the cities of Kurashiki and Soja in the prefecture. As part of the DENDO Community Support Program, which aims to create systems throughout Japan to quickly provide MMC electric vehicles when disasters occur, MMC is bolstering cooperation with Okayama Prefecture, where one of its key production facilities, Mizushima Plant, is located.
On the same day, Takao Kato, chief executive officer, MMC, visited Okayama Prefectural Governor Ryuta Ibaragi, Kurashiki Mayor Kaori Ito and Soja Mayor Soichi Kataoka to sign the agreements.
The purpose of these agreements is to eliminate time taken to re-confirm required information with local governments when disasters occur, and to quickly provide disaster-affected areas, evacuation sites and other places with MMC’s electric vehicles such as Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, that can serve as power sources. Having already concluded agreements with Kyoto and Shizuoka Prefectures as well as the city of Sapporo, in Hokkaido, MMC plans to have agreements in place with local governments across Japan by fiscal 2022.
The West Japan Floods in July 2018 caused significant damage in Okayama Prefecture and its surrounding areas. Such disasters have been growing in scale and affecting larger areas in recent years.
“We are working hard to promote the DENDO Community Support Program to establish disaster cooperation agreements with local governments, so that our products can serve in any way possible to relieve social unrest from natural disasters and help local residents feel safe and secure,” Kato said.
When 2019 Typhoon 15 caused severe damage to Chiba Prefecture in September, MMC sent 12 Outlander PHEVs to community facilities and other sites in the area as power source for household appliances. MMC will continue to provide quick support for natural disaster affected areas.
SOURCE: Mitsubishi Motors
