Panasonic introduces autonomous ride share service around its Japan HQ

Panasonic has launched autonomous ride share service around its headquarters, which cover an area of approximately 468,000 sq meters and has about 14,000 staff. (See video below.)

The company says that, as autonomous driving evolves and interest in mobility as a service grows, there are “increasing expectations” for their adoption in towns and communities.

Panasonic says offering an autonomous ride share service for its employees around its headquarters in Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, is the first step towards this direction.

As you would expect of a manufacturer, Panasonic’s headquarters are expansive, and more than 10,000 employees often have to travel to and from the many buildings within the vast premises.

By providing the autonomous ride share service, Panasonic hopes to alleviate the physical and psychological burden associated with the frequent travel and to improve employees’ lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=pnlSC8yRC28&feature=emb_logo

Not only does the service realize reassuring autonomous driving in an environment with many pedestrians, unlike the experimental phase, the service is operated by staff in the administration department rather than by developers and other experts.

As a provider of mobility solutions that impact people’s everyday living, Panasonic will continue to develop “Last 10-mile” solutions that invigorate people, communities, and the planet.