This time, the employees are from the EV department.
In December 2022, Nissan launched an innovative campaign honoring the often-overlooked behind-the-scenes employees in an anime series. It's Nissan's way of saying thanks to employees that contribute significantly to the company but never receive the same exposure and praise as CEOs and board members.
Last month Nissan celebrated Kyle Martus, a Nissan engineer based in the USA responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of headlights. It's an essential job, yet only Martus' employers, wife, and kids know about him.
In this month's episode, Nissan is celebrating Ryo Kawata and Yuki Nakajima, two employees playing a pivotal role in the Japanese giant's electrification efforts.
Kawata is in charge of EV infrastructure development, which has to be one of the most challenging jobs in the industry. It's part innovator, part politician. Katawa has to develop relationships with various institutions across Japan, whether a multi-unit housing development or public buildings. Can you imagine the mountain of paperwork Katawa has to deal with every month?
Nakajima is in charge of marketing the new Sakura EV, and their jobs intertwine at Nissan's various dealerships. Katawa and Nakajima team up to discuss the multiple barriers EV face and the pathways they can use to get around them.
It's likely easier to convince Japanese customers to buy an EV, as Tokyo is a prime example of a city where an EV like the Nissan Ariya would work beautifully.
Nissan/YouTube Nissan/YouTube Nissan/YouTube
Japan is more than just one big giant city, as many people like to imagine. Nissan needs a more expansive charging infrastructure for longer road trips, and that's where Katawa comes in. Nakajima wants Nissan's EV mini vehicles to be ubiquitous as soon as possible. For that to happen, Katawa has to establish a network that ensures users don't get stuck at the side of the road.
“Products like the Sakura open a whole new subset of customers to zero-emissions transportation,” said Nakajima. “By making EV ownership even more affordable and accessible, Nissan is helping the move toward a fully electric future in meaningful ways – something we've been doing for more than a decade.”
“Affordable EVs are one piece of the puzzle, but the infrastructure to charge them is another,” Katawa added. “To really propel us toward zero-emissions mobility, drivers need to have a large, reliable charging infrastructure that will support the imminent growth of EVs. That means we must stay ahead of the demand curve – which is why the foundation we are building is critical. But if we succeed, our children and grandchildren will thank us.”
Nissan/YouTube Nissan/YouTube
Keyword: Nissan Immortalizes More Employees In Anime Series