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Mobility Working Group (2nd)

Overview

  • Date and time: Tuesday, February 13, 2024, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • Location: Online
  • Agenda:
    1. Opening
    2. Content
      1. Direction of measures for social implementation of automated driving services using new digital technologies such as mobility
      2. Status of discussions by the "Sub-Working Group on Review of Social Rules for automated driving vehicles in age of AI"
    3. Exchange of opinions
    4. Adjournment

Materials

Summary of proceedings

At the beginning, Chief Researcher Mori gave the following address at the opening of the working group.
Based on the previous meeting, we have organized the Issue that should be examined in each ministries and agencies in the future and what kind of measures are expected from each ministries and agencies. In addition, Mobility Roadmap would like to organize the Issue on the range of services and mobility means that are considered to be necessary for the commercialization of autonomous driving. In considering the commercialization, it is necessary to clarify how much productivity can be raised compared to the existing mobility. Therefore, we would like to introduce a demand survey for mobility as part of the Secretariat's consideration. We would like to ask all members to make use of their knowledge and give their frank opinions on matters that should be further examined. We would like each ministries and agencies to actively speak about possible responses based on the suggestions of today's experts.

1. Direction of measures for social implementation of automated driving services using new digital technologies such as mobility

Based on Material 2 and Reference 2, the Secretariat explained the direction of measures for social implementation of automated driving services using new digital technologies such as mobility.

  • In order to solve the social Issue related to public transportation, it is necessary to flexibly examine a business model that combines various mobility, people's flow, and distribution.
  • Mobility Roadmap will focus on this point, but the scope will be flexibly set as far as the commercialization of automated driving is concerned.
  • For the social implementation of automated driving, it is necessary to solve various Issue simultaneously and while maintaining consistency as a whole, but it is easier to understand if it is arranged as a requirement for social implementation when considering measures. Therefore, I have arranged what is considered at present from the viewpoint of "establishment of business models," "establishment of technologies," and "establishment of systems and rules," and I would like you to discuss the direction.
  • In addition, in order to continue operations, not only in automated driving, it is necessary to firmly grasp demand, and we are considering ways to visualization demand. Although this is a trial effort, we would like to improve the accuracy of the purpose of moving essential goods in order to dig up latent demand, so we would like to ask for your advice.

Key Comments

We received opinions from experts and related ministries and agencies on the direction of measures for social implementation of automated driving services using new digital technologies such as mobility as follows.

Visualization and creation of demands
  • Experts
    • The visualization of demands should be arranged by how to overlap existing demands and what kind of services are required.
    • In the visualization and creation of demand, it is important to improve sales by carrying people and goods without carrying air, for example, by taking measures such as mixed loading of freight and passengers.
    • It is necessary to consider a mechanism that can objectively grasp the actual flow with a visualization tool (for example, using an IC card (such as Suica) in railway infrastructure) for demand and operation status that leads to operation rate improvement and route efficiency.
    • You should think about demand forecasting while imagining the use scene.
Improvement of operation rate and route efficiency
  • Relevant ministries and agencies
    • There is an opinion that in utilizing existing facilities as mobility hubs, it is necessary to organize the specifications of standard hubs that can cope with the renewal of facilities due to aging.
Evaluation of contributions to social impact
  • Experts
    • Establishing a business model is very important. It is important to reduce initial investment and create multiple benefits and various added values.
    • In order to encourage elderly people to return their licenses, it would be good to introduce automated driving buses as a means of transportation and a place of communication for the purpose of enhancing their second lives.
    • It is good to show that automated driving contributes to carbon neutrality.
Flexible burden of operating expenses
  • Experts
    • It seems that the government has no choice but to consider how the public-private burden should be and how to increase the number of public works.
    • It is important how much the cost can be reduced. If a large system development is made from the beginning, running costs will be incurred and the possibility of monetization will be reduced. Therefore, it is good to start with the possibility of monetization.
  • Relevant ministries and agencies
    • The premise that a business model will be established in automated driving is strange. I agree with the opinion of experts that we have no choice but to consider how the public and private sectors should bear the burden and how to increase the number of publicly owned enterprises.
    • It may be time for the government to step into the public burden.
    • In order to realize automated driving in rural underpopulated areas, the involvement of public actors must be increased, and it is necessary to consider the cost to be borne by area as a social infrastructure, including methods such as vertical separation and public construction.
Reduction of initial costs and operating costs
  • Experts
    • Start Dash is important to reduce initial costs. We would like you to consider increasing the amount by cooperating with existing automated driving support projects, MaaS support projects, smart cities, etc.
    • It is important to make maximum use of existing assets and to devise ways to reduce investment in infrastructure that supports automated driving.
    • It is realistic to start with items that require little initial investment and are likely to increase in value, and to expand the range as you gain experience.
    • The estimation simulation when making the operation plan of the mobility is carried out firmly.
    • Although attention tends to be paid only to the vehicle side, the cost of the operation management system, ticketing system, and back-end system is also important.
  • Relevant ministries and agencies
    • For the implementation of automated driving, we are working on technology upgrading and cost reduction support of main technologies in cooperation with related ministries and agencies.
Expanding Learning Opportunities
  • Experts
    • Currently implemented MaaS projects and automated driving demonstration support projects are gathering fairly good data, which should be used as a reference.
    • With regard to the implementation of automated driving and the collection of data, it is necessary for intermediate support groups that can absorb the aims of the government and the needs of consumers to communicate firmly and carefully advance implementation.
    • In recent years, there has been a move to let AI learn while intelligently collecting data, and along with that, the application of generative AI to automated driving's technology development in generative AI has also advanced. I think it will be necessary to cooperate in the industry on how to utilize AI to automated driving's technology development.
    • It is important for the country to secure the amount of computational resources necessary for automated driving's technological development.
  • Relevant ministries and agencies
    • In the automated driving demonstration support project, we would like to work on data gathering based on today's opinions and cooperate with each ministries and agencies.
    • From the perspective that without an overwhelming amount of data and learning, it is impossible to stand at the entrance of safety, there is a lack of arrangement of measures for securing calculation resources and data collection.
Establishment of road-vehicle coordination technology
  • Experts
    • Regarding the risk of cooperation between road-to-vehicle and its evaluation, and data collection, the conditions that shake ODD at automated driving Level 4 were identified in detail.
    • In order to establish road-vehicle cooperation, we would like to see the road map including rules and business models.
    • In view of automated driving society, what should be prepared as ITS infrastructure should be organized.
    • In parallel with the technical establishment, it is necessary to clarify the responsibility demarcation point while organizing the operation.
    • There is a problem of the time base in the examination of the road-vehicle coordination technology. It should be arranged so as not to cause a misunderstanding that it will take time to develop the technology nationwide, although it can be realized immediately.
    • The details and timing of implementation, technology, use cases, and degree of completion should also be examined in detail.
    • Since it is difficult to introduce roadside-to-vehicle communication in automated driving in the short term, necessary additional measures should be considered based on the existing roadside-to-vehicle communication system.
  • Relevant ministries and agencies
    • We would like to contribute from the perspective of developing a communication environment while being aware of the time frame.
    • It is important to align the specifications and standards of the systems and infrastructure to be developed.
    • There is a method in which the road administrator bears the cost of certain facilities based on the Road Act, and a method in which the facilities of the business operator are allowed to be occupied, but it is necessary to consider whether it will be viable as a business.
Establishment of other travel technologies
  • Experts
    • It is better to view the entire system by securing and operating the infrastructure, the operation system using it, and the management of various facilities, for example, by using a mechanism or division in which the operation and transportation system and passenger service are placed on the facility infrastructure such as railway tracks and stations.
    • Technically, there is still much room for examination. In advancing efforts, it is very important to clarify the scope guaranteed by the system, which should be the criteria. It is necessary to clarify the functions to be arranged and the responsibility demarcation point in the trinity of cars, nearby traffic participants, and traffic environment.
    • Regarding service models, indicators, and data reduction using automated driving vehicles trains, we will use indicators already cultivated in railways and buses where they can be used in common. In addition, it is necessary to consider KPI logic as a automated driving project now.
    • We will consider a cooperation model with another automated driving and necessary systems that can utilize the weaknesses and strengths of the mobility.
  • Relevant ministries and agencies
    • In addition to the improvement of road-vehicle coordination technology, it is also important to improve existing safety facilities such as pedestrian separation signals. At present, pedestrian separation signals are installed in consideration of the impact on traffic flow and safety, and it may be possible to install them on automated driving routes as one direction.
    • There is an opinion that it is important to leave the technology validation phase as soon as possible and proceed with the hypothetical validation to enhance the business feasibility of the service.
    • It is important to talk about the responsibility demarcation point, and we would like to actively consider it as an official.
Improved social acceptability
  • Experts
    • The establishment of systems and rules will ensure overall consistency. In particular, it is important to concentrate on low-speed automated driving buses, which are ahead of other buses, in order to realize early implementation.
    • In order to make people feel convenient and safe, all automated driving levels 1 to 3 were mobilized.
    • Since safety is required to be able to respond to various disturbances, evaluation in the actual environment and practical test including the field are required.
    • Regarding social acceptance, the roles of local government are naturally necessary, and it is also necessary to include design, a designated area for automated driving, in city planning and to involve local government in business operator certification.
    • Security and safety are two different things. Security is the key word for social acceptability.
  • Relevant ministries and agencies
    • It is necessary for area residents to personalize mobility services.
Other General
  • Experts
    • Even if we introduce automated driving Bus, there will be a space in time and space for transportation. We would like you to actively introduce private sector ride-sharing.
    • It can be summarized from the viewpoint that we aim for a shared economy, a society with zero marginal cost, like the use of cyberspace. It is good to include the sense of providing good services at low cost by utilizing commons-like cooperative areas (including business models).
    • It is necessary to clarify the scope of automated driving vehicles safety assessment and the specific assessment method for each type of project. I understand that the Working Group will handle such technical discussions or the Sub-Working Group will consider the responsibilities of automated driving vehicles. However, since the scope of validation safety assessment and the responsibilities are strongly related, I would like the Working Group and the Sub-Working Group to clarify the scope of assessment.
    • It should be kept in mind to realize it step by step with limited space, scene, purpose, and vehicle.
  • Relevant ministries and agencies
    • Since there are cases in which demonstration is conducted many times, we would like to make efforts to become a implementation from demonstration as soon as possible.
    • If we don't aim for a world in which marginal costs fall as mobility services themselves become more productive and businesses expand, nothing we can do will solve the problem.
    • It is necessary to introduce combined techniques such as services that are conscious of cooperative areas and the consolidation of traffic flow lines, and to think of turning vertical things sideways. In order to consider Issue, including the possibility of potential demand, across various business sectors such as taxis and buses, an approach like a roadmap is essential.

2. Status of review by the "Sub-Working Group on Review of Social Rules in automated driving vehicles in the AI Era"

The secretariat of the Sub-Working Group explained based on Document 3.

  • The Issue in the case of applying the current system as it is to the accidents in the unmanned automated driving will be extracted, and the measures to quickly implementation and realize the unmanned automated driving that contributes to the drastic reduction of traffic accidents will be positively examined.
  • The first is to identify the points at issue, and the second is to focus on how to create a mechanism to prevent recurrence and prevent accidents through investigation of the cause of the accident. The third is to be held at the end of this month, and the interim report is expected to be compiled once a month in May.
  • We would like to cooperate and discuss with the Sub-Working Group and this Working Group, including the responsibility demarcation point.
  • Each country is also considering what kind of rules should be re-established for the unmanned automated driving, and we would like to firmly consider so as not to fall behind.

Summary

At the closing of the meeting, Chief Researcher Mori gave the following summary of the entire working group.

  • We hope that the ministries and agencies concerned will deepen its consideration regardless of the allocation, actively propose what can be done, and bring it into the process of government decision.
  • Based on today's comments, a draft roadmap will be presented next time.

End

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