Economy / IT Charter "Superlative Elgrand" 2 hours for 20,000 yen! The purpose is "for web conferencing" I tried riding immediately

5 companies including Nissan, 2nd phase of demonstration experiment

　Dai Nippon Printing, Nissan Motor, Zenrin, Softbank, Kuwahara In February 2022, we started the second demonstration experiment of a “mobile conference room” that allows web conferencing in the environment.

　This is a continuation of the first phase implemented in June of the previous year, and its purpose is to verify commercialization, including paid services. This time, I decided to try it out.

What are the challenges of "in-vehicle web conferencing"

　In the business world, it has been a long time since there has been a lot of talk about streamlining working hours and work balance. Under such circumstances, the corona disaster that has engulfed the world has further accelerated this way of thinking.

　At the center of this is the Internet and the spread of mobile devices such as smartphones. As a result, many businessmen were freed from location restrictions, leading to a greater degree of freedom in their work.

However, even though I was freed from the constraints of location, I was not completely free from constraints. On smartphones, the small screen makes it difficult to see the materials, and if there are multiple people, it may be difficult to see each other's expressions.

In addition, if it is an important meeting, it is necessary to consider confidentiality. For example, when traveling in a taxi, it is necessary to take care of the audio so that the driver does not hear the content of the meeting.

Large LCD monitor with 2 rows of seats

Based on this situation, commercialization as a "mobile conference room" service with comfort and freedom of movement like a hired car, as well as confidentiality Is it possible? It is said that this demonstration experiment started under such an idea.

　From the first round, the vehicle used in the demonstration experiment was the Nissan "Elgrand VIP" in order to seek comfort.

　This car is a luxurious 4-seater specification with 2 front seats and 2 rear seats.In particular, the rear seats are equipped with power seats with ottomans made of high-quality genuine leather that can be placed in the living room. You can enjoy the spaciousness and comfort of a class.

　One of the features of this specification is the low-floor cabinet that separates the front and rear seats, but for this experiment, we combined a partition wall to which a 32-inch large monitor can be attached.

　This partition wall incorporates a camera/speaker/microphone dedicated to the conference, and at the same time aims to improve the sound insulation from the front seats. In addition, the communication network for web conferencing uses Softbank's 5G / 4G, realizing a stable line environment.

On the other hand, by increasing the sound insulation from the front seats, it is of course impossible to communicate with the driver. Therefore, a tablet called a "communication tool" was installed in the demonstration experiment.

Set at 20,000 yen for 2 hours or 30km

　A dedicated app is installed here that allows the driver to make requests such as getting off or extending the time of use. Text-based exchanges such as You can also call when needed. This tool was developed by Dai Nippon Printing.

In addition, the rear seats cannot see the front due to the installation of the bulkhead, creating a situation where it is difficult to understand the current location. Therefore, we incorporated the Zenrin Maps API as a tool to indicate where the current location is.

With this, when you tap the "Show current location" icon, a map showing your current location will be displayed on the tablet. However, it cannot be said that the map is easy to see, and the current location is difficult to understand just by displaying "+" on the map. This improvement will be necessary in the future.

Then what is different in the second demonstration experiment? The big difference is the expansion of the demonstration test area and the implementation of paid services.

　According to the presentation materials, 112 trips were used in about 3 months in the first phase of the demonstration experiment, and 90% of the people answered that they were satisfied with the questionnaire. Based on this reaction, in the second round, we set a usage fee of 20,000 yen for each use for 2 hours or up to 30 km for the purpose of verifying whether it is really viable as a business.

　It seems that they are also considering the extension, but the specific extension fee has not yet been decided.

Riding experience, is it okay to get carsick?

　You will need to bring your own PC or tablet to connect to the monitor, but Wi-Fi internet access is available in the car and is included in the usage fee. In addition, Kuwahara, which operates the vehicle, accepts applications.

　The period of the demonstration experiment was about 7 months until September of the same year. In the meantime, it will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but will be closed for maintenance from 22:00 to 6:00 the next morning every Sunday.

　This experience took the form of receiving a presentation about this mobile conference room, but the impression was better than I had imagined.

　The generous seat size provided by the Elgrand VIP 2nd row seat created a comfortable ride, and the spaciousness of the rear part of the large minivan for only 2 seats created a truly luxurious environment.

　The images displayed on the monitor were clear, and not only was the material clearly readable, but the facial expressions of the members participating in the meeting were also clearly reflected. Looking at the 32-inch screen made me worried about car sickness, but I personally didn't feel it.

　I thought that if this was used for business purposes, it would be possible to get a fair amount of users, but it seems that weekends are actually an issue. If you narrow down your target to business use, of course, the operating rate will drop on weekends.

Expanding to scenes other than business

　Therefore, in the second phase, we expanded the target of use to individuals, for example, for surprises such as tourist information and weddings, or for introducing real estate properties. It is said that we are also envisioning a method to do so.

For example, by using communication lines and linking with detailed map data, it will be possible to provide remote sightseeing guides, and when introducing real estate properties, we will explain the outline while taking the customer to the site. can also

　For a wedding, you can take advantage of the large space and spend time relaxing without worrying about clothes. Also, in the presentation, there was an opinion that if the service were to be developed around each airport, it would be possible to hold meetings while traveling on a business trip, and demand could be expected here.

　In this experiment, we plan to improve the completeness of the service by repeating these various trials, and that is the main purpose of this time. Based on these, improvements will be made to the interior space and the main functions that make up the space, and the five participating companies will aim for commercialization after 2023.

　It seems that the day is approaching when we can hold web conferences while moving around in a comfortable environment.