First autonomous driving public road demonstration experiment conducted in Saga Prefecture - Test drives and trial sessions for autonomous driving vehicles, etc. with social implementation in mind -

Fukuyama Consultants Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of FC Holdings Co., Ltd., Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of ID&E Holdings, KCS Co., Ltd., Macnica, and Kurume Institute of Technology, jointly with Ureshino City, Saga Prefecture, We are pleased to announce today that Saga Prefecture's first demonstration experiment of autonomous driving vehicles on public roads (autonomous driving level 2) will be conducted in Ureshino City.

Fukuyama Consultants Co., Ltd., Nippon Koei Co., Ltd., and KCS Co., Ltd. have formed a joint venture to carry out the "Ureshino City Future Technology Regional Implementation Project," which was selected as a future technology social implementation project by the Cabinet Office. We have been receiving orders since fiscal 2021, and have been working on the project with the goal of regional implementation of autonomous driving vehicles, etc. under the theme of "mobility services that support the movement of visitors."
In fiscal 2023, we will examine operational issues and social acceptability, as well as consider the effects on town development, such as revitalizing inns and shopping streets. ) to October 9th (Monday), we will install a autonomous driving EV bus ^{* 1} provided by Macnica and a remote monitoring system center ^*2 to conduct trial runs and test rides on public roads. We will implement it. In addition, in front of JR Ureshino Onsen Station, we will also conduct a demonstration experiment of autonomous driving personal mobility ^{* 3} in which an electric wheelchair is equipped with the "AI interactive autonomous driving system" developed at Kurume Institute of Technology (Intelligent Mobility Research Institute). .

In the future, based on the results of the demonstration experiment, we will proceed with discussions with related parties with the aim of social implementation of autonomous driving vehicles and personal mobility.

[Summary of this demonstration experiment]
■Date: September 25, 2023 (Monday) to October 1, 2023 (Sunday): Test drive without test drivers
October 2, 2023 (Monday) to October 9, 2023 (Monday): Trial test drive
■Time: 10:25-16:05 (approximately 10 flights a day)
■ autonomous driving vehicle: autonomous driving EV bus NAVYA ARMA
■ autonomous driving level: Level 3 autonomous driving system (runs at level 2 during operation)
■Driving route: Round trip route between Ureshino Onsen Station West Exit and Ureshino Onsen Bus Center

■How to participate: For information on participating in the experiment, please check the announcement on the Ureshino City website.
　　　　　　　　https://www.city.ureshino.lg.jp/shisei/keikaku/_28638/_29405.html

■Operation schedule: Operates during the times shown in the table below.

*1: autonomous driving EV bus NAVYA ARMA
ARMA is an autonomous driving shuttle bus equipped with an autonomous driving system. It is an EV (electric vehicle) specification, and can run automatically for about 9 hours (100km) on a single charge.
Overall length: 4,750mm
Height: 2,650mm
Width: 2,110mm
Weight: 2,400kg
Gross vehicle weight: 3,450kg
Number of passengers: Maximum 10 people (8 passengers + 2 crew members)
Power source: electric motor
Maximum speed: 18km/h (average speed during operation) 10km/h degree)
autonomous driving level: equivalent to level 3
Other: In the event of an emergency, the passenger driver will intervene manually

The autonomous driving EV bus used in this demonstration experiment will be provided through the "autonomous driving Demonstration Experiment Support Service Program" jointly established by Macnica, Fuyo Sogo Lease Co., Ltd., and Fuyo Auto Lease Co., Ltd. Please refer to the URL below for details.
https://www.macnica.co.jp/business/maas/news/2021/136501/

*2: Macnica Mobility Data Platform (remote monitoring system)
Monitoring is possible by collecting sensors installed on the vehicle (GPS, camera, etc.) and vehicle CAN information (vehicle speed, rotation speed, steering angle, etc.) and saving the data to the cloud using a high-quality transmission method. One person can remotely access the cloud and check the mobility status of multiple vehicles in real time. In addition, the accumulated data can be applied to check past situations, analyze data, and utilize AI. By utilizing a remote monitoring system, we aim to resolve the social issue of labor shortage.

[Outline of autonomous driving personal mobility demonstration experiment]
■Date: October 2, 2023 (Monday) to October 9, 2023 (Monday)
■Time: 10:00-16:30
■Vehicle: autonomous driving personal mobility
■How to participate: There are no special advance reservations, so please feel free to contact us.

*3: autonomous driving personal mobility
It is a small autonomous driving mobility vehicle that uses the "AI interactive autonomous driving system" developed by Kurume Institute of Technology through industry-academia-government collaboration on a WHILL electric wheelchair, and the "5G remote assistance (remote control, TV call)" jointly developed with NTT Docomo. ” function is also included.
Development began in 2015, and so far we have conducted demonstration tests at a variety of locations including large-scale theme parks such as Yoshinogari Historical Park and Tokyo Dome City, art museums, shopping malls, airports, hospitals, and nursing care facilities. In recent years, as part of a Japan Tourism Agency project, we have been working on the development of new tourism content that combines autonomous driving, MR, and VR, as well as conducting demonstration tests in Odaiba, Tokyo.
Additionally, PARTNER MOBILITY ONE is a mobility device that can be used by multiple people.