Mitsui & Co., Ltd. is engaged in new mobility services utilizing autonomous driving technology, leveraging its ongoing partnership with SB Drive Corp.

In April of this year, three automated ARMA* shuttle buses manufactured by France's NAVYA will be delivered to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc, for use within Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which is in the process of being decommissioned. Mitsui & Co. Plant Systems, Ltd. is tasked with importing the buses from NAVYA, while SB Drive Corp. is equipping the buses with operation management systems.

These buses will operate round trips between the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant access management building and the important anti-seismic building, along with other routes. The vehicles are pre-programmed with site routes and equipped with a location Global Positioning System (GPS) and operate without a driver. Each bus is equipped with LiDAR and other electronic systems which detect the positional relationship of surrounding objects.

The buses are a level 4 autonomous vehicle and have already transported approximately 10,000 people in 25 countries worldwide. This is the first time that they have been put into operation in Japan. In partnership with SB Drive Corp., Mitsui & Co. and Mitsui & Co. Plant Systems, Ltd. will continue to be active in the field of autonomous driving, aiming to contribute to, realize, and provide new mobility services that meet the future needs of Japan's aging population.

*ARMA is an electric vehicle designed and developed by French manufacturer NAVYA specifically for autonomous driving. The vehicle runs autonomously on a pre-programmed route, with its position determined by GPS, and is equipped with technology such as LiDAR (laser scanner) to detect obstacles.

Autonomous shuttle bus overview