Kanagawa Prefecture's Odawara City and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. have announced a collaboration to utilize electric vehicles (EVs) towards achieving the SDGs goals set forth by Odawara City.

In July 2019, Odawara City was selected as an SDGs Future City with the slogan "Creating a Self-Sufficient Community Ecosystem that Protects and Nurtures Life through Human Connections." This initiative has also been chosen as a "Model Project for Local Government SDGs," recognized for its particularly pioneering efforts among SDGs Future Cities.

Following this, in October of the same year, the city launched a car-sharing program by introducing 100 EVs, including Nissan's LEAF, striving to build and strengthen a decarbonized regional transportation model.

Meanwhile, Nissan has been working to drive societal change through the promotion of EVs as "Blue Switch" solutions to address challenges such as reducing environmental impact and disaster preparedness in Japan. This agreement was realized as both parties found common ground in their respective activities.

The agreement specifies strengthening the power supply system by utilizing the EV's battery function, providing free use of LEAF test drive vehicles during disasters, thereby harnessing them as "mobile batteries." It also outlines collaboration towards achieving a sustainable community and SDGs, including the utilization of EVs in new lifestyles such as workations—working remotely or while traveling—during normal times.

Odawara City has already introduced two LEAFs as official vehicles. With this agreement, the city plans to further enhance collaboration to solve regional issues through EV adoption, promoting their use in both daily life and during emergencies.