MobiSavi Co., Ltd., an EV data services company, and Ehime Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced on August 7 that they will establish an EV battery collection and repurposing hub operated by an automotive dealer, with technical support from LB.Engineering Japan Co., Ltd. (a manufacturer, developer, and seller of lithium-ion storage batteries). The initiative is the first of its kind in Japan and is intended to accelerate the real-world implementation of Ehime Prefecture’s EV resource circulation model.
MobiSavi and Ehime Nissan have each been commissioned by Ehime Prefecture to carry out separate EV battery-related projects.
As EV adoption grows, establishing local systems to collect, reuse, and recycle spent EV batteries has become an urgent challenge. Because collection and performance-assessment facilities are scarce at the regional level, high transportation costs and logistical burdens have hindered the spread of reuse frameworks. Building a stable supply of quality-assured second-life batteries is a nationwide challenge for expanding the repurposing market — in which EV batteries that have reached the end of their automotive life are redirected to alternative applications such as stationary energy storage.
Ehime Prefecture is working to build a “locally self-contained EV resource circulation model” that covers the entire lifecycle within the region — from the spread of new EVs and the distribution of used EVs through to the reuse and recycling of spent batteries. The prefecture has been promoting the distribution of used EVs since the previous fiscal year, and in the current fiscal year it is beginning to formulate a strategy for battery collection, performance assessment, and supply to the reuse market.
Ehime Nissan has been commissioned to carry out the “Performance Assessment Scheme Demonstration Project for an EV Battery Collection and Repurposing Hub,” and will develop a hub capable of handling vehicles from multiple manufacturers.
The first step will be to obtain the “LBEJ Certification” operated by LB Engineering (a certification scheme that recognises businesses qualified to handle spent EV batteries safely). After obtaining certification, Ehime Nissan will collect EV batteries and design and demonstrate a performance diagnosis and assessment scheme. Through this dealer-anchored framework, the company aims to serve as a bridge toward a stable supply of reused batteries. The hub is scheduled to begin a pilot operation in October 2026; after verifying the end-to-end operational process from collection to supply, full-scale operation is targeted for fiscal year 2028.
MobiSavi, meanwhile, has been commissioned to carry out the “EV Battery Repurposing Market Entry Promotion Project.” Working with LB Engineering, it will deliver a training programme for approximately ten companies in Ehime Prefecture that are seeking to develop EV battery products. The programme — which also includes the installation of solar street lights equipped with LB Engineering-manufactured emergency storage batteries — will provide knowledge and skills covering battery structure, degradation characteristics, and safety design through to the development of repurposed products, with the aim of cultivating the human resources and companies capable of developing and manufacturing such products locally. In parallel with the hub’s full-scale launch, the project will work toward commercialisation and market formation within the prefecture.
The three companies position this initiative as a model case for rolling out the human-resource development outcomes and dealer-anchored hub operational know-how to other regions, with the aim of securing a stable supply of EV batteries and broadening the market foundation that makes it easier for repurposing businesses to operate. The project gives concrete form to the activities of the Ehime EV Circular Economy Promotion Council, which Ehime Prefecture leads, and represents a first step toward deploying the locally self-contained EV resource circulation model nationwide.
【Press Release】MobiSavi and Ehime Nissan to Establish Japan’s First (*1) Automotive Dealer-Operated EV Battery Collection and Repurposing Hub
【Reference】[Results Published] Request for Proposals (Proposal Method) for the Fiscal Year 2026 Commissioned Project: Performance Assessment Scheme Demonstration at an EV Battery Collection and Repurposing Hub
【Reference】[Results Published] Request for Proposals (Proposal Method) for the Fiscal Year 2026 Commissioned Project: EV Battery Repurposing Market Entry Promotion
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