AD Motors, a local electric car manufacturer, said it has begun exporting the Change electric car to Japan.

The company had signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the issue with Japan’s Autorex on March 31.

Under the contract, Autorex will import Change vehicles to Japan, and the Nippon Automobile Fair Certificate Association will be responsible for marketing the vehicle and for establishing an after-sales service network, AD Motors said.

The first Change vehicles bound for Japan were loaded on Saturday. The company will begin receiving orders for the Change from Autorex once the vehicle is certified by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, AD Motors said.

The company’s Change electric car is a two-seater, fitted with a 16 kilowatt motor, and has a top speed of 60 kilometers per hour.

The vehicle can travel up to 78 kilometers when the battery is fully charged, which takes six to seven hours to reach full capacity using the standard 220 volt outlet.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)