Seasoned Recruit Launches New Firm Within One Year, Creating Hakobune — A New EV Business Model.

Hakobune offers multiple services: commuter EV subscriptions, workplace charging (WPC) using renewable energy, and V2X technology enabling home use of vehicle-generated electricity. At present, Japan is reported to have some 25 million private commuter vehicles. Redefining commuting to include car-sharing between company and employee ultimately benefits the individual, the enterprise, and society. This initiative is significant in terms of decarbonization, given that over a third of Japan’s 82 million vehicles are used for commuting.

Issues including concern over cruising range and inadequate charging infrastructure have slowed the expansion of EVs in Japan. However, as the average commuting distance is 30km, an EV with a cruising range of 150km would only need to be charged once a week. As private vehicles used for commuting are usually active only in the morning and evening, use is both regular and uniform.

Conversely, as such cars are left standing in the workplace parking lot all day, they can become “batteries on wheels”, fully charged by the end of the workday, free to serve the user in his or her daily life once they are driven home. In other words, as long as there is a charging facility at the workplace, there is no need to install one at the commuter’s condominium or apartment complex.

The name was borrowed from the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, as “Hakobune” literally means “box-like vessel.” The Bible notes that Noah’s ark was built in anticipation of a great future flood. Hakobune was named in hopes that it can similarly help the automobile industry, which is undergoing massive change typically seen once in a century. The name is also a play on words, as we hope the EVs can help transport (hakobu in Japanese) electricity throughout communities.

I began working for a major auto manufacturer after graduation, gaining experience in areas such as advertising, dealer consultancy, and medium-term management planning before launching the EV car-sharing business.

One watershed was the birth of my son when I turned 40. After observing him learn by trial and error, I began to wonder whether I was satisfied with my own life as it was. I realized I needed to rethink my own habit of setting personal limits and hitting the brakes when things didn’t go as planned. I was exactly 60 years old when my son turned 20, and I realized that I wanted to spend each day growing and learning alongside him.

Many people showed support for the launch of a new venture like Hakobune, but due consideration was given as to whether it should be an independent company or a department within Sumitomo Corporation. I was not fixated on creating a new company, as I knew that creating a dedicated team worked better in some cases. However, functioning within an existing company and juggling other business interests would inevitably require prioritization. Shaping markets and society requires an unwavering commitment. In the past, smartphones and EVs were not ubiquitous parts of our lives as they are now. That led me to believe that Hakobune absolutely needed to be independent and backed by a blind faith in its power to break through. After making that decision, I felt the path to success lay in finding people within Sumitomo Corporation who shared its vision as well as communicating the farsighted perspective of the plan and its extensive social impact.

While I ostensibly took the lead and worked to get the company on its feet, I honestly do not for a moment believe that I alone created the business. Our success in pulling off the impossible feat of creating the company in such a short time is entirely due to the full-time employees and mid-career hires who shared the Hakobune philosophy.

I consciously try to see things from various angles.

Since we are only given one life to live, it is better to live it positively and enjoyably. I rarely use the word “failure” as I have experienced no loss or defeat. If I had to characterize such outcomes, I would say they were “unsuccessful.” These unsuccessful experiences offered me the opportunity to try again, learn, and ultimately prevail with persistence. That philosophy affords mental stability and the ability to view tougher challenges as enjoyable. The key is to give it all you’ve got. Doing so will enhance and increase your experience and knowledge. It is important to ask yourself — and clarify — what your goal is, to have the tools necessary to pursue it, and to be proud of the path you have chosen. Failing to do that will, I suspect, bring more unhappiness than joy in your daily work.

I also feel gratitude toward my colleagues and family for supporting my effort to create an environment in which I can work freely.