BYD completed a 10-day trial operation of an autonomous driving bus earlier this month at Tokyo Haneda Airport. BYD partnered with All Nippon Airways (ANA), which is Japan’s largest airline, to complete the trial operation.
The bus is BYD’s first autonomous-driving bus. The next step is to put it into full operation on a daily basis.
The autonomous bus, is a K9, can carry up to 57 people. The level of autonomy that will be used in the coming, more involved trial operation is nearly “Level 3” autonomous driving.
Airport staff will be using the bus in a specific area of the airport. This is to collect data that will help the developers better improve the autonomous driving functions while improving the bus’s operating efficiency in the future.
The project is jointly carried out by ANA, BYD, BOLDLY, and Advanced Smart Mobility. This group has already conducted three rounds of tests between 2018 and 2020. ANA plans for these buses to now be put into full trial operation this year.
In addition to marking a significant step forward for airports, fully electric autonomous buses will result in fewer emissions and decreased carbon footprints at airports. They are gaining trust and recognition in Japan thanks to its many cleantech products.
Reference- BYD Online PR, InsideEVs, Electrek, Japan Today