Denso to build an automated driving test facility in Tokyo by 2020

Denso Corporation, one of the largest mobility suppliers in the world, today announced it will establish a new facility at Haneda Airport in Tokyo to develop and test automated driving technologies. The facility, which is expected to be complete by June 2020, will feature a building and proving ground for mobility systems R&D and will advance Denso’s worldwide efforts to create a future that’s safer and more sustainable for all.

This new location is part of the Haneda Airport Unused Land Zone 1 Redevelopment Project, a broader initiative led by Tokyo’s Ota City, Denso and other entities to transform underutilised space at the airport into a hub for leading-edge technology development and mixed-use cultural facilities.

This announcement follows Denso’s establishment of its global R&D Tokyo facility in April 2018, an automated driving R&D office near Shinagawa Station in Minato City, Tokyo, to promote collaboration and open innovation with its development partners, which include automakers, universities, research institutes and startups. The new facility will include a building to develop prototypes and maintain test vehicles, and also a proving ground to conduct live, in-vehicle tests. This will enable Denso to take an integrated approach to the development of automated driving in Tokyo because the new facility at Haneda Airport can develop and test prototypes based on automated driving technology planned, researched and developed by global R&D Tokyo in Shinagawa.

The Haneda area is designated a ‘National Strategic Special Zone’, where a regulatory sandbox system (A system to create a controlled environment without existing regulations where a limited number of project participants can verify their innovations including new technologies during a limited period of time) is adopted to allow for field tests of advanced mobility technologies on public roads, including automated driving. Additionally, the Haneda area in Ota City is said to be a hotbed for developers, startups and manufacturers of new-age technologies and applications for a wide range of use. Denso will utilise the National Strategic Special Zone system and work with manufacturers in Ota City to develop and test prototypes more seamlessly and speed development of automated driving technology.
 

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