Why electric car aren’t big in Japan

Japan’s car makers have always seemingly been at the cutting edge of automotive design and technology.

Except, that is, with electric cars. Stand at the side of the streets of Tokyo, the world’s largest city, and you would do well to spot an electric car. I didn’t knowingly see one in the best part of a week there, for the recent Japan Mobility Show.

But that shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise: from 2016 to 2021, EV sales accounted for between 0.4%