Macnica and Iwamizawa City, Hokkaido, implement initiatives to realize a digital society - Testing to resolve local issues, including evaluating the running of autonomous driving EV buses on public roads -

Macnica (headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Kazumasa Hara; hereinafter "Macnica) and Iwamizawa City, Hokkaido (Mayor: Matsuno Satoshi) will conduct demonstration tests of autonomous driving electric bus on public roads with the aim of building a sustainable transportation system, developing new transportation modes, and verifying integrated services such as MaaS (Mobility as a Service).

While the number of public transportation users is decreasing nationwide due to the declining birthrate, aging population, declining population, and people refraining from going out due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of elderly people returning their licenses is increasing and commercial transactions in areas undergoing depopulation are increasing. With the withdrawal of facilities and medical facilities, securing livelihoods has become an urgent issue. In addition, transportation operators are facing a serious issue of aging crews and a shortage of workers, and in order to maintain and secure routes, there is an expectation that they will build a sustainable transportation system that utilizes ICT and digital technology. Masu.
Against this background, Iwamizawa City utilizes the ICT environment that is unique to the region, fully utilizes the power of digital technology, takes advantage of the "individuality and richness of the region," and strives to create a "well-rounded life." -being) and ``Sustainability'' (environment, society, and economy), and we view this demonstration of the autonomous driving EV bus as one of our important initiatives.

Macnica is using the world's most advanced technologies, such as AI, IoT, and autonomous driving, to tackle various social issues in collaboration with partner companies, research institutes, and local governments. As part of this initiative, we are working with local governments across the country to create safe, secure, and livable cities of the future, starting with demonstration experiments of autonomous driving buses.

This demonstration will be carried out by Macnica in collaboration with the Iwamizawa District Hire Association, a partner organization, and commissioned by the Iwamizawa City autonomous driving Bus Demonstration Consortium, which is comprised of two organizations: Iwamizawa City and Iwamizawa City companies.

[Contents of this demonstration]
As a realization of Iwamizawa City's vision of "improving the quality of citizens' lives" using ICT and digital technology,We are planning to conduct the following demonstration experiments using autonomous driving EV buses.
・Evaluate and verify whether autonomous driving EV buses function as a method for securing transportation.
・Verification of services using MaaS and digital technology related to education and health using vehicles through industry-academia-government collaboration (Hokkaido University COI-NEXT)
⊳Operation management (remote monitoring) system, ride reservation (using smartphones), needs survey (using smartphones/tablets)
・Demonstration of remote monitoring using a communication environment without delay, with an eye to Level 4 "fully autonomous driving under specific conditions" permitted by the revised Road Traffic Act enacted in April of this year
・Verification of CO₂ emission reduction effect by utilizing hot spring associated gas and electricity generated using sunlight as fuel, which is being demonstrated at the Kitamura Akagawa mine facility, and use for charging, and low carbonization by electricity utilization (Reiwa Continuous demonstration from 4th year)

[Summary of this demonstration]
Traffic-dense area (shuttle service)
■Date: October 6th (Friday) to October 13th (Friday), 2023
■Time: 9:00 to 17:00
■Location: JR Iwamizawa Station - Hokkaido University of Education Iwamizawa Campus
■How to ride: Advance reservation on the reservation site

Residential area (local circulation)
■Date: October 15th (Sunday) to October 20th (Friday), 2023
■Time: 9:00 to 17:00
■Location: Kitamura area (departing from and arriving at Kitamura branch)
■How to board: Advance reservation by phone

*The service will be operated flexibly depending on the weather and passenger situation.
*Please refer to the Iwamizawa City website for details.
　https://www.city.iwamizawa.hokkaido.jp/soshiki/johoseisakuka/11697.html

■Demonstration operation of new mobility using autonomous driving technology, etc.
autonomous driving uses cameras, sensors, GPS position information systems, etc. to recognize the surrounding situation, and autonomous driving system makes predictions and judgments and operates the steering wheel, accelerator, and brakes. The vehicle we will be using this time is NAVYA ARMA ^{* 1}, a autonomous driving EV bus that does not have a steering wheel, accelerator, or brake pedals. In addition, vehicle travel data will be linked to Macnica 's remote monitoring system "Macnica Mobility Data Platform ^{* 2}", allowing you to check the driving information of the autonomous driving EV bus from a remote location in real time.

*1: autonomous driving bus NAVYA ARMA
ARMA is an autonomous driving shuttle bus equipped with an autonomous driving system. It is an EV (electric vehicle) model and can run automatically for about 9 hours (100 km) on a single charge.

Total length: 4,750mm
Overall height: 2,650mm
Overall width: 2,110mm
Weight: 2,400kg
Gross vehicle weight: 3,450kg
Number of passengers: Maximum 15 people (8 users)
Power source: electric motor
Maximum speed: 19km/h (average speed during operation is about 15km/h)
autonomous driving level: Level 2 (technically equivalent to level 3)
Other: In the event of an emergency, the passenger driver will intervene manually

The autonomous driving EV buses used in this demonstration will be provided by the "autonomous driving Demonstration Test Support Service Program" jointly established by Macnica, Fuyo General Lease Co., Ltd., and Fuyo Auto Lease Co., Ltd. For details, please refer to the following URL.
https://www.macnica.co.jp/business/maas/news/2021/136501/

*2: Macnica Mobility Data Platform (remote monitoring system)
By collecting information from sensors (GPS, cameras, etc.) attached to vehicles and the vehicle's CAN information (vehicle speed, RPM, steering angle, etc.) and storing the data in the cloud using a high-quality transmission method, one monitor can remotely access the cloud and check the mobility status of multiple vehicles in real time. In addition, the accumulated data can be used to check past status, for data analysis, and for the use of AI. By utilizing the remote monitoring system, we aim to resolve the labor shortage, a social issue.

*Product names mentioned in the text are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
*Information (including product prices, specifications, etc.) in the news release is current as of the date of the announcement. Please note that it is subject to change without prior notice.

＜本実証実験に関するお問い合わせ先＞
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