Skip to main content

Japan to trial EV service for elderly people

The government of Japan is to introduce a low-speed electric vehicle (EV) service for elderly people travelling to shopping destinations and hospitals. A report by The Japan News says trial will comprise 10 small EVs called ‘Green Slow Mobility’. Each vehicle will be able to carry up to 10 passengers at a speed of less than 20kph. The Environment Ministry and Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry is hoping the trial will provide an understanding on how to set prices for rides. Munic
July 26, 2019 Read time: 1 min

The government of Japan is to introduce a low-speed electric vehicle (EV) service for elderly people travelling to shopping destinations and hospitals.

A report by The Japan News says trial will comprise 10 small EVs called ‘Green Slow Mobility’. Each vehicle will be able to carry up to 10 passengers at a speed of less than 20kph.

The Environment Ministry and Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry is hoping the trial will provide an understanding on how to set prices for rides.

Municipalities can trial the vehicles for free. Some communities are thinking about using artificial intelligence to help determine the optimal route for multiple bookings.

The trial sites will be in cities such as Kawachinagano (Osaka Prefecture), Oda (Shimane Prefecture) and Onomichi (Hiroshima Prefecture).

UTC

Related Content

  • March 29, 2018
    Report highlights community impact of new mobility options
    Local authorities and communities must understand the impacts of the new mobility options and regulate to get the transport systems they want, according to a new report. Colin Sowman takes a look. Outside of the big cities plagued with congestion, the existing transportation system(s) often cope adequately, and the ongoing workload (maintenance, safety…) is more than enough to keep local transport authorities busy. Is it, therefore, a good use of public service employees’ time to keep abreast of the raft
  • July 2, 2012
    Japan’s government prepares for autonomous driving in early 2020s
    The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry of Japan is about to introduce a study panel to carry out in-depth discussions concerning a vehicle autopilot driving system. The system, which is aimed to be realised in the early 2020s, will apply to self-steering vehicles that feature their own navigation capability. The government intends to build special expressway lanes for such self-driving cars. After entering the designated lanes, the autonomous vehicle can take over the driving task entirely
  • February 7, 2022
    Willers offers community mobility service 
    30-day subscription costs ¥5,000 (Japan) and S$75 (Singapore)
  • October 25, 2021
    What will MaaS look like in 2031?
    The next decade will see the humble trip planning app transformed by machine learning and AI, revolutionising the way we move around and interact with each other, says John Nuutinen of SkedGo