Until now, charging points have been funded by the owners of the locations where they are installed. As part of the trial, TMC said it will assess the use of coin operated and pay-by-hour units, funded by a subsidy programme in Japan. All units will be WiFi connected allowing data to be collected and analysed by the manufacturer.

The tests will take place in Aichi Prefecture, between Tokyo and Kyoto, starting in November and expected to be complete by March. Participants also include two local governments and 10 businesses, which will get access to the data to inform future network development.