Electric vehicles (EVs) have become increasingly popular since 2014 and are the future of the automobile industry. Many see them as superior vehicles because they are more efficient, easier to maintain, cleaner, and cheaper to run. They are computerized machines that use AI to improve safety and will soon be able to provide autonomous driving. They receive software upgrades during their lifetime and are constantly improving, unlike their traditional combustion-engine counterparts, which start to become obsolete almost immediately.

You will be overseeing the production of these electric vehicles in Kanban EV, with "kanban" (看板) being the name for a scheduling system that supports just-in-time production, an efficient assembly line, and a smooth workflow process. Over the course of the game, players take on the role of rookie employees who are trying to establish and secure their career. You need to improve and innovate automobile parts, manage suppliers (and supplies), and get your hands greasy on the assembly line in order to boost production and impress the factory manager.

To win, you need to make shrewd use of the recycling facilities and the limited factory supplies so you can appropriate parts when the suppliers come up short. Because the factory must run at optimum efficiency, production doesn't wait for you, and can't afford any mistakes. Sandra, the factory manager, will evaluate your performance and keep the factory on tempo.

Kanban EV is a game that focuses on time and resource management. It puts you in the driver's seat of an entire production facility, racing for the highest level of promotion and factory goals. You earn production points (PP) for successfully performing various actions in the game, and the player with the most PP at the end of the game wins.