Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. have decided to establish a joint venture by the end of fiscal 2024 to provide services involving self-driving cars and electric vehicles, it has been learned.

The two companies aim to provide a passenger transportation service using Level 4 autonomous driving technology – in which the vehicle, under certain conditions, does not require human involvement in driving – and vehicle batteries electrics for home energy storage, among other services. .

The joint venture will be financed equally by the car manufacturer and the trading company. Verification testing will begin in 2025.

As for autonomous driving, Nissan is currently developing the vehicles, while Mitsubishi is working to commercialize a system using artificial intelligence capable of determining optimal routes. Based on the results of the developments, the joint venture will operate unmanned taxis and other services in accordance with the government’s deregulation measures. The services will first be introduced in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Namie, Fukushima Prefecture. Nissan is conducting demonstration experiments on automated driving and other technologies at both sites.

When it comes to electric vehicle batteries, the two companies are exploring a service that would connect electric vehicles to homes and power grids, allowing people to use the electricity stored in their cars at home or sell it to utilities. of electricity. They are also considering a project that promotes the collection of used electric vehicle batteries for secondary use and recycling, as a problem has emerged that many used electric vehicle batteries end up abroad.

Nissan plans to increase sales figures for its autonomous driving and electric vehicle businesses to 2.5 trillion yen by fiscal 2030, but the automaker has faced difficulties in conceptualizing businesses that would use them- even vehicles.

Mitsubishi is accelerating its investment efforts in start-ups and other companies that develop autonomous driving software, anticipating the future expansion of the autonomous driving market in a context of falling birth rates, aging of the population and labor shortage. The company also works with major automobile manufacturers in the field of batteries for electric vehicles.