news

Robo-vehicle mobility service to be trialled in Japan

Posted: 26 February 2018 | | No comments yet

The service developed by Nissan and DeNA, Easy Ride, is expected to energise cities by enabling customers to discover new local destinations…

Robo-vehicle mobility service to be trialled in Japan

Nissan Motor and DeNA have announced the field test of Easy Ride, their robo-vehicle mobility service developed by both companies.

Scheduled for 5 March 2018, the field test will be held in the Minatomirai district of Yokohama, in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture. The participants will be able to travel in vehicles equipped with autonomous driving technology along a set route spanning approximately 4.5km between Nissan’s global headquarters and the Yokohama World Porters shopping centre.

For efficient fleet operation, and customers’ peace of mind, Nissan and DeNA have set up a remote monitoring centre that uses the two companies’ advanced technologies.

The companies will also test Easy Ride’s unique service functions. Using a dedicated mobile app, passengers can input their needs and choose from a list of recommended destinations. An in-car tablet screen will show selections of nearly 500 recommended places of interest and events in the vicinity. Additionally, around 40 discount coupons for retailers and restaurants are available for download on the participants’ smartphone.

Users will be asked to complete a survey about their overall experience, content, coupons and preferred pricing for the Easy Ride service. Nissan and DeNA will then use the survey results as they continue to develop the offering.

The field test will enable Nissan and DeNA to learn from the experience of public participation, as both companies look toward future commercial endeavours. They will also work to develop service designs for driverless environments, expanded service routes, vehicle distribution logic, pick-up/drop-off processes and multilingual support. The companies aim to launch Easy Ride primarily in a limited environment and then introduce a full service in the early 2020s.

Related cities

Related organisations
,