YourStand, Co.

The Opportunity: Expanding EV Access in High-Density Housing

Japan’s plan to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 is central to its 2050 carbon-neutral goal. But adoption of electric vehicles has lagged, especially in urban apartments and condominiums where shared charging stations are rare.

Without home charging access, EV owners often rely on public stations or dealerships, facing long charging times and added inconvenience. Today, 90% of Japanese EV owners live in single-family homes, leaving a huge untapped market in multi-unit housing.

“Ideally, people who live in condominiums should be able to fully charge their cars at home,” said Nobuyuki Ura, Founder of YourStand.

The Solution: Reservation-Based EV Charging for Condos and Offices

Founded in 2018, YourStand developed a proprietary IoT system that allows users to reserve, operate, and pay for EV charging stations directly from their smartphones.

The YourStand App enables:

• Real-time charger reservations and remote start/stop
• Usage tracking for accurate billing
• Streamlined payments

The company also installs chargers in condominiums and office buildings, handling end-to-end services from site surveys and subsidy applications to proposals for property managers.

After several prototypes, YourStand settled on a Raspberry Pi–based design with Soracom connectivity built in, making it scalable and easy to manage.

Why Soracom: Secure Connectivity and Remote Management

“There was an atmosphere that if it was IoT, it was Soracom,” said Yuta Mochizuki, Technical Development Lead at YourStand.
YourStand relies on Soracom Air for secure, reliable device-to-cloud communication, and Soracom Napter for on-demand remote access, enabling updates, firmware upgrades, and troubleshooting without visiting each site.

Previously, maintenance required in-person visits to every condominium. Now, with Napter, YourStand’s specialists can resolve issues from their office or home. Electricians performing on-site work can even plug in a Soracom USB dongle to allow remote specialists to repair devices in real time.

The Outcome: Accelerating EV Adoption Nationwide

By the end of 2021, YourStand’s system was installed in 150 condominiums across the Tokyo metro area, with expansion planned for Osaka, Nagoya, Hokkaido, and beyond. The company has also seen a surge in customer interest following Japan’s carbon neutrality policies.

“We have even heard from people who bought EVs after the chargers were installed in their condominiums,” said Denise Chia, PR Manager at YourStand.

Looking ahead, YourStand aims to integrate chargers into new condo construction, office buildings, and commercial facilities — using Soracom’s secure connectivity to keep operations streamlined as they scale.