Nissan and DeNA begin trials for robo-taxis in Japan

Autonomous mobility is going to be a sooner reality thanks to the latest developments in robo-vehicle mobility service in Japan. Nissan Motor and DeNA will begin a field test of Easy Ride, the robo-vehicle mobility service from March 5, 2018.

Easy Ride is envisioned as a mobility service for anyone who wants to travel freely to their destination of choice in a robo-vehicle. During the field test, 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 on a set route. The route spans about 4.5km between Nissan's global headquarters and the Yokohama World Porters shopping centre.

 The user-interface of the Easy Ride app

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

The partners will also test Easy Ride's unique service functions,  using a dedicated mobile app, passengers can input what they want to do via text or voice 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, about 40 discount coupons for retailers and restaurants in the area are available for download on the participants' own smartphones.

The users will be asked to complete a survey about their overall experience, usage of content and coupons from local retailers and restaurants, and preferred pricing for the Easy Ride service. Nissan and DeNA will use the survey results to further develop the service offering, and for future field tests.

The field test will the companies to learn from the experience of operating the Easy Ride service trial with public participation, as they look toward to future commercial endeavours.

Nissan and DeNA will also work to develop service designs for driverless environments, expand service routes, vehicle distribution logic, pick-up/drop-off processes and multilingual support. The companies aim to launch Easy Ride in a limited environment at first before expanding full service by early 2020s.

 The Easy Ride Remote Monitoring Centre

With customers able to discover new local destinations, the companies expect Easy Ride will also help energise cities and neighbourhoods.

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