Daihatsu's 1st commercial electric minivehicles released

Daihatsu aims to catch up with industry rivals Honda Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., which currently lead the commercial electric minivehicle market, by responding to the logistics industry's demand for electrification.

Minivehicles account for about 60 pct of commercial vehicles in Japan.

Daihatsu President Masahiro Inoue told a press conference that the company could "make a big contribution to decarbonization" if EVs become more prevalent in the sector.

The e-Hijet Cargo is priced at 3,146,000 yen, while the e-Atrai costs 3,465,000 yen.

The vehicles each have a cruising range of about 257 kilometers on a single charge, the longest among commercial electric minivehicles.

The maximum load capacity is 350 kilograms, comparable to that of gasoline-powered models.

The e-Hijet Cargo will also be supplied to Toyota Motor Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp., which jointly developed the battery system, under an original equipment manufacturer agreement.