What is the purpose of MIRAI-LABO? ENEOS understands that better than anyone else.

Business Overview

Our aims

Grow with unmatched technology and the environment in mind

MIRAI-LABO was founded with an “environmentalist” philosophy, and in 2020, our 15th year of operation, we have already grown beyond the tag of a venture company. In fact, we are a development-oriented company, or, in other words, you could say we are a manufacturer at heart. Our concept is “contributing to the creation of a global environment focused on the next 100 years by providing energy-saving technology that goes beyond common sense”. We have not altered this concept since we established our company; it continues to be the main criteria for our product development and project launches to this day. Regardless of prospective profits, we adhere to this orientation so strictly that we will refuse projects that we deem to be insufficiently aligned with our defining concept.

Expressed another way, we are also an “intellectual property strategy” company. This is a term we coined to describe our aspiration to only develop products that retain intellectual property and make it a pillar of our management. Our field is decidedly not improving off-the-shelf products and services. We strive to create unique products that can never be imitated by anyone else in the world. In conclusion, we recognize that our partnership with ENEOS is a result of the multiple products they have produced that society itself recognizes as embodying this corporate attitude.

We anticipated MaaS (Mobility as a Service) when we established our company, and now the times have caught up with us.

One word that epitomizes our business area is “MaaS”. In fact, we were ahead of the curve on “MaaS” from the very beginning. Our company’s founding registries claimed “CO2 reduction” as its core business, and we developed “energy-saving lighting systems” and “power generation systems derived from natural energy” toward that end. In the meantime, society has been forced to change, leading to the verbalization of new themes that require energy conservation, such as “MaaS” and “sustainability.”

The common goal of all these themes is the realization of a recycling-oriented society. The “CO2 reduction” goal that we proclaimed at the time of our company’s establishment is exactly the means by which we foster a recycling-oriented society, and if you examine the technology used for that purpose, you will come across the technology MIRAI-LABO has developed. It may sound pompous, but we believe that the times have finally caught up with us in the last 15 years.

Layering “three core technologies” keeps us ahead of the pack

Three core technologies support our company. Each of them has a competitive advantage of their own, but when combined, they reinforce our aforementioned “nobody can imitate us” claim. Specifically, the three technologies are: highly efficient reflector technology, technology for switching among multiple lithium-ion batteries with potential difference without interruption, and solar power generation technology for road power generation.

Our reflectors, which were designed to extend the LED’s radiation distance, drew inspiration from Edo-era (1603-1868) handheld lanterns used by protectors of the peace. This special design made it possible to control color unevenness, illuminance, and shadows, which could not be achieved by other lighting manufacturers. Of course, we have acquired a patent and accumulated the know-how to even outdo ourselves.

Next, our technology for switching among multiple batteries with potential difference without interruption can facilitate the reuse of EV (electric vehicle) batteries once their role in EVs has been completed. Our signature product, “THE REBORN LIGHT”, incorporates scrap batteries from Nissan EVs, but the degree of wear and tear differs from one battery to another. Our technology is needed to control them as an aggregate and provide a stable source of power.

Third, our solar-related technology is unique in its use of flexible, non-crystalline power panels. We are trying to create a solar-powered road surface covered with solar cells.

“THE REBORN LIGHT”: a streetlight and symbol of recovery that reuses EV batteries

We are the only ones in the world who have patented these three core technologies. However, possessing the technology alone is not enough to gain social recognition and inspire widespread adoption, much less associating it with MaaS. Our goal is to create an autonomous MaaS society with an autonomous and stable supply of electricity and communication, which is essential for next-generation mobility. How can we get around safely and comfortably without relying on electricity from power companies? We participated in “THE REBORN LIGHT” project as part of an educational campaign to envision this future.

In March 2019, one of our autonomous street lights was installed in Namie Town in Fukushima Prefecture, which is undergoing reconstruction, to brighten up the roads that are not connected to power lines; the sleek S-shaped form incorporates all the technologies of reflectors—photovoltaic power generation and energy storage—and its body is made of recycled steel from the body of a car. This single lamp is designed to embody the recycling-oriented society we envision. Currently, we have started mass production of a new, lighter, and smaller model, which has already been installed in Tokyo and the Tohoku region.

Incidentally, our video introducing this project won a silver award at the London International Awards. We were one of the first such companies to have its value recognized overseas as well.

The World’s Leading Roadside Power Generation System, Demonstration Trials Progressing Smoothly

Another big project we are working on is roadside power generation. As we all know, solar panels have been installed on houses and forests in myriad ways over the past decade. While I am of course in favor of promoting renewables, I publicly stated early on in my endeavors that “the place to put the panels is on the road”. I said this because, roofs aside, I felt conflicted by the method of felling forests that absorb CO2 for the sake of installing solar panels. A better idea is to take advantage of roads that are already in place since they take up huge areas of land and produce nothing as they are.

To be honest, my concerns were not shared by others for a long time. But my understanding of the paving material we were secretly developing grew, and about two and a half years ago, we began to work with NIPPO on a demonstration project. Currently, we have achieved results with a 20-ton trailer loaded with heavy machinery that can pass through without damaging the road surface. We have heard that there were rivals overseas in this field, but their plans have been halted because they cannot handle heavier loads. In addition, the electricity generated is stored in our signature product, the G-CROSS (refillable battery generator), which is used for lighting at night. I am sure that the day is not far off when this type of “smart road” system will be widely used around the world. Of this I am convinced.

Why Collaborate?

Why ENEOS?

From the first meeting, ENEOS and MIRAI-LABO are on the same page

ENEOS is the largest energy supplier in Japan. Until now, it has supported society by selling fuels, mainly oil, that power mobility. Such a company is now developing a new business model themed on protecting the environment and predicting the future. When we heard about ENEOS’s initiative, we felt that we could work synergistically with them. As we realized during “THE REBORN LIGHT” project, even if one can develop impressive technology, achieving widespread adoption of it throughout society is no easy task. We knew that partnering with a globally influential company was a strategic imperative.

At exactly the right time, ENEOS approached us to form a partnership. The first person we met with was Mr. Katayama. From our very first meeting, we hit it off, I felt like my mind opened to all manner of new possibilities. I was delighted to see that we were all thinking about the same theme from the same point of view every time we had discussions. At meetings, we did not, for example, say, “Here is the plan for tomorrow, sales are expected to increase in this way…”. Instead, we discussed the long-term vision of what we should do today for a desired goal ten years from now, all for the purpose of achieving our desired global environment 100 years into the future, which is the core concept I mentioned at the beginning of this message.

What to do and where to aim, ENEOS was more lucid than anyone else

Frankly speaking, companies often ask to collaborate with us for the purpose of acquiring our technology. However, such collaborations do not match our IP strategy and, moreover, any collaboration that does not generate synergies will naturally collapse anyway. More to the point, if our technology were so easily diverted, our contributions to society would be nothing particularly special. In reality, only MIRAI-LABO can draw a grand design based on three core technologies. Many companies specialize in components, such as lighting, lithium-ion batteries, and solar panels, but it is difficult to create a 100-year future for each of them individually and in concert with each other.

It is strange, but no matter how many offers we receive, we refuse to move forward with any company that is out of line with our core concept. In that respect, I think we are a perfect match for ENEOS, whose slogan is “world view”. At the management meeting, everyone unanimously proclaimed, “Let us proceed!”

We want to accelerate the realization of a MaaS society with autonomous energy and with help from ENEOS

With the help of ENEOS, we hope to accelerate the process from demonstration testing to widespread adoption in the future. If our products can be used for gas station lighting and flooring, the impact on the world will be considerable. The benefits of mass production would be immense, and above all, the benefits of becoming familiar with energy-saving technology would be immeasurable.

Nowadays, solar panels are commonplace, but it is a fact that people are only starting to become familiar with this technology’s components. They do not yet have the experience of directly using the electricity generated there. If we want each house to become autonomous and complete instead of having to go through the power company, we need to relearn how to deal with energy. When such a lifestyle is established, we will be able to say that we helped realize an autonomous energy society. I am very hopeful that we will achieve this, with ENEOS.