Skip to main content

Nissan and Dena launch robo-vehicle mobility service trial

Nissan Motor and Dena will conduct a field test of the Easy Mile robo-vehicle mobility service in Japan on the 5 March that will allow participants to travel in cars equipped with autonomous driving technology. The trial is intended to help passengers discover new local destinations as well energise cities and neighbourhoods. Riders will be able to use a dedicated app to choose from a list of recommended destinations through text or voice. The in-car tablet screen will display selections of nearly 500
February 27, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

838 Nissan Motor and Dena will conduct a field test of the Easy Mile robo-vehicle mobility service in Japan on the 5 March that will allow participants to travel in cars equipped with autonomous driving technology. The trial is intended to help passengers discover new local destinations as well energise cities and neighbourhoods.

Riders will be able to use a dedicated app to choose from a list of recommended destinations through text or voice. The in-car tablet screen will display selections of nearly 500 places of interest and events in the vicinity. In addition, up to 40% discount coupons for retailers and restaurants can be downloaded via the participants’ smartphones.

The test will take place in the Minatomirai district of Yokohama across a route spanning around 4.5 kilometres between Nissan’s global headquarters and the Yokohama World Porters shopping centre.

Both companies have also created a remote monitoring centre which aims to provide efficient fleet operation and peace of mind for users. It will also test Easy Ride’s service functions.

After the trial, passengers will be asked to complete a survey on their overall experience, usage of content and coupons and preferred pricing for Easy Ride. These results will be used to help advance the offering and future field tests.

The partnership will also work to develop service designs for driverless environments, expanded service routes, vehicle distribution logic, pickup/drop-off processes and multilingual support. It aims to launch Easy Ride in a limited environment first, followed by a full service in the early 2020s.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Nissan, NASA to develop autonomous cars
    January 12, 2015
    Nissan Motor Company, through its North American-based organisation, and NASA have announced the formation of a five-year research and development partnership to advance autonomous vehicle systems and prepare for commercial application of the technology. Researchers from Nissan's US Silicon Valley research centre and NASA's Ames research centre will focus on autonomous drive systems, human-machine interface solutions, network-enabled applications, and software analysis and verification, all involving sop
  • The future of in-vehicle navigation systems
    February 3, 2012
    TRL's Alan Stevens looks at the evolution and future prospects of in-vehicle navigation devices. Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) plays a crucial role in the safety of vehicles on our roads. Until we achieve full automation (and that's a debatable prospect anyway) a driver's interaction with the vehicle - all the controls, information and systems - holds a pivotal role in safe driving.
  • Rising awareness of car sharing concept set to increase uptake
    May 7, 2013
    According to Frost and Sullivan, whilst car sharing as a concept has existed for several years, the uptake rates and emergence of new players in the traditional as well as peer to peer (P2P) car sharing market has proliferated in the last five years. Member numbers increased by over 90 per cent between 2008 and 2012, growing from 500,000 to over 940,000 and, says Frost & Sullivan, this trend is set to continue. In an forthcoming web conference, Car Sharing – The Voice of the Consumer, on Tuesday, 14 May 201
  • Nissan disables Leaf app following hacking scare
    February 26, 2016
    According to news reports, Nissan has disabled its NissanConnect EV app after it was found that hackers could remotely control in-car systems. Security researcher Troy Hunt discovered the vulnerability during a software workshop he was attending and has detailed his findings on his blog. In a test with fellow researcher Scott Helme, they found they were able to remotely turn on the car's heated seating, heated steering wheel, fans and air conditioning. According to Helmes, “Fortunately, the Nissan Le