Becamex Tokyu jointly launched the first Proof-of-Concept for the autonomous vehicle on the public transport system in Binh Duong New City
On the morning of October 3, 2022, Becamex Tokyu Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Phenikaa-X, Nippon Koei, and Binh Duong local authorities officially organized a launch event for the first autonomous car project in Binh Duong New City, as well as kick off the official Proof-of-Concept (test run) for this vehicle on public transport system.
This is the first time in Vietnam that an autonomous vehicle has been tested on the public transport system (the vehicle had only been tested within the internal route of Phenikaa University in Hanoi since its first launch in 2021).
The participation in the ceremony includes Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha - Vice Chairman of Binh Duong's People's Committee, Mr. Kusaka Masatoshi - Deputy Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh, Mr. Nguyen Anh Minh - Director of the Department of Transport, along with the Department's Deputy Director Mr. Nguyen Chi Hieu, Mr. Nguyen Hoan Vu - Deputy General Director of Becamex IDC Corp, Mr. Kurosaki Yasusuke - Deputy Chief Senior Director of Business in Main Consulting Business Supervision Unit of Nippon Koei, Mr. Oh Dongkun - General Director of Becamex Tokyu, Mr. Le Anh Son - CEO at Phenikaa-X, as well as leaders and members from related departments and teachers, students from universities in Binh Duong.
Addressing the event, Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha - Vice Chairman of Binh Duong's People's Committee, stated that "The Proof-of-Concept project has exceptionally important value, as it's the first time ever that a driverless vehicle is officially run on a public street in Vietnam. With this time's launch event, the People's Committee, the Department of Transport, as well as the whole province's departments expect that the project will contribute to the development of public transport and innovation, which reflect the spirit of Binh Duong Smart City project that we are pursuing".
Mr. Kusaka Masatoshi - Deputy Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh believed that "there would be more and more people experience this vehicle in this project - the mutual representative for the Japan-Vietnam cooperation, through with proves the safeties and efficiency of the autonomous vehicle. This would be a significant step for Binh Duong towards the goal of becoming a smart city". He also hoped the government of Binh Duong would support this meaningful project.
Later in the ceremony, Nippon Koei introduced the autonomous car Proof-of-Concept project they are working on with Phenikaa-X, as well as the vision and the future of the project.
Following the ceremony was the vehicle experience in which the delegates directly toured the car on the 750-meter journey connecting Hikari and the Binh Duong Province Administration Center.
The Phenikaa autonomous vehicle test run (in the internal route of Hikari) is going to last from October 1 to 9.
During the testing operation, the partners will conduct verification of the vehicle’s safety as well as capacity in addition to passenger surveys, then analyze to map out how to promote urban development through intelligent solutions.
Binh Duong New City was named among TOP7 of Intelligent Communities by The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) in June, 2022. And with the aim of joining the urban development of the province, Becamex Tokyu has not only contributed to changing the face of the city with typical works but also participated in the software field with the goal of achieving sustainable development in such areas as transportation, culture, and education,...
In terms of transportation, besides the modern bus project KAZE Shuttle Bus as one of the key projects that makes a significant contribution to the increase of local transport traffic, Becamex Tokyu and Phenikaa-X share the mutual visions that match Binh Duong New City's smart urbanism development; then started the coordination in operating this project of Phenikaa autonomous car, hoping that this vehicle will connect with other smart means of transportation to become part of the smart and modern public transport system in Binh Duong New City in the future.
About the Autonomous Vehicle
Phenikaa Group utilized the most modern technologies in studying, developing, and completing this first level-4 self-driving vehicle in Vietnam based on the standards of the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE International), in which level 5 is the highest. The vehicle is officially launched on March 26, 2021, after a long while of experimenting at Phenikaa University in Hanoi.
Autonomous vehicles is programmed with a super-sensitive sensor system. Furthermore, passengers can book a car through the app developed by Phenikaa-X. With outstanding intelligent features such as a cruise control system, lane control system, collision warning and speed adjustment, etc., the Phenikaa-X autonomous vehicle helps make the space more modern, smarter, and environmentally friendly, contributing to developing smart cities from smart traffic solutions.
Autonomous vehicle by far remains a new idea to not only Vietnam but also the world. The Phenikaa's autonomous car being launched in 2021 has been a breakthrough among forums of intelligent applied technology community as well as domestic and foreign media.
About the Proof-of-Concept project
- Operation date: From October 1 to October 9, 2022
- Test running route:
・ October 3, 2022: 750m circular route from Hikari to Binh Duong Administration Center building
・ October 1 to October 2, 2022 and October 4 to October 9, 2022: Internal Hikari 180m (one way)
- Specifications:
・ Maximum speed: 40km/h
・ Load capacity: 600kg (4 - 5 passengers)
・ Cruising Distance: 100km
- Roles of each company in this project:
・ Nippon Koei: Consulting on self-driving technology, transportation planning and data analysis for
smart cities.
・ TOKYU Corporation – Becamex Tokyu: Coordination with relevant departments and providing infrastructure and
facilities necessary for demonstration.
・ Phenikaa X: Operation and demonstration of autonomous vehicle and self-driving system.
- Collaborators:
・ Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Transportation and Tourism: Financial support for this project
・ Binh Duong People’s Committee: Provide infrastructure necessary and permission regarding crossing public road.
・ Phenikaa MaaS: Collaboration with BusMap application (real-time location and service information)
・ Becamex Tokyu Bus: Collaboration between operation of KAZE Shuttle Bus and autonomous vehicle