First of all, we would like to express our deepest sympathies to the victims of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024, and our sincere wishes for a speedy recovery.

　We would like to thank you for your continued patronage of Blue Sky Technology. We will continue to make every effort to be of service to you in the development of technologies for electric vehicles in the new year.

In 2023, electric vehicles will still be widely used in the global market. However, living in Japan, we do not feel that electric vehicles are becoming more widespread. In fact, while the number of electric vehicles sold in Japan will certainly increase in 2022 and 2023, their share of the total is about 2%, which is very low compared to the rest of the world.
　Looking at the world, the percentage of electric vehicles is steadily increasing in China, Europe, and North America, and in 2023, the percentage of electric vehicles sold in Southeast Asia is also increasing, especially in Thailand.

　To put it a little more broadly, one out of every three passenger cars in the world powered by internal combustion engines is a Japanese brand. Not surprisingly, the Japanese automobile industry is a key industry in Japan that has penetrated the world so strongly. On the other hand, from a cross-section of the current electric vehicle market, it is estimated that only about 2% of the world’s electric vehicles are sold under the Japanese brand name. From a pessimistic point of view, the increasing popularity of electric vehicles around the world means that the presence of the Japanese automobile industry will continue to decline.

　I am sure that Japanese automobile companies will not remain silent in the future, and I am sure that electric vehicles are still being developed, but I am concerned that any further delay will be detrimental to the future of the Japanese automobile industry. I am concerned that Japanese-brand electric vehicles will not become something that is appreciated around the world unless the Japanese people change their mindset toward electric vehicles in line with the global trend toward energy shift. In this sense, 2024 will be an important year that will have a significant impact on the near future of the Japanese automobile industry in terms of how electric vehicles will or will not spread in the Japanese market and how the image of electric vehicles will change.

　In any case, the electrification of automobiles is definitely underway and will undoubtedly continue to progress in the future. At Blue Sky Technology, we are ready to assist you in the technological development and business transformation associated with the electrification of your automobiles. If you have any concerns or questions about electrification, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to working with you in the coming year.

　Blue Sky Technology is a unique consulting and engineering services firm specializing in automotive electrification and related technologies, with a majority of its staff having worked in the automotive industry for 20 to 30 years.
　From specialized requests such as development and design of electric vehicles, dynamic evaluation of vehicles, overhaul investigations, vehicle control, motor control, R&D of lithium-ion batteries and start-up of production lines, to consulting on electrification of each automotive component and adaptation of new materials to electric vehicles, We can provide support tailored to your needs.