Chartered "Highest Elgrand" 2 hours for a whopping 20,000 yen!The purpose is "for web conferencing"

5 companies including Nissan, the second of the demonstration experiment

Dai Nippon Printing, Nissan Motor, Zenrin, Softbank, and Kuwahara will start the second demonstration experiment of a "mobile conference room" that allows web conferences in a comfortable environment while traveling by car in February 2022. bottom. [As expected, "VIP"] Looking at the comfortable interior of the car (8 images in total) This is a continuation of the first one carried out in June of the previous year, and its purpose is to verify commercialization including paid services. .. This time I decided to experience its practicality.

What are the challenges of "in-car web conferencing"?

Nissan "Elgrand VIP" used for the demonstration experiment of "Mobile Conference Room". Operated by taxi company Kuwahara (Image: Hajime Aida)

In the business world, it has been a long time since people have been clamoring for more efficient work hours and work balance. Under such circumstances, Korona-ka, which involved the world, further accelerated the idea. At the center of this is the Internet, and the spread of mobile devices such as smartphones. As a result, many businessmen have been freed from space constraints, which has greatly increased their freedom of work. However, being freed from location constraints does not mean that they are completely free of constraints. On smartphones, it may be difficult to see the materials due to the small screen, or if multiple people are the other party, they may not be able to see each other's facial expressions well. In addition, if it is an important meeting, consideration must be given to confidentiality. For example, if you are traveling by taxi, you need to be careful about the voice so that the driver cannot hear the contents of the meeting, and you may have to interrupt the meeting when you arrive at the destination.

Large LCD monitor with 2 rows of seats

Both seats are sized so that you can sit comfortably with genuine leather power seats. In the demonstration experiment, it is assumed that up to two people will be on board (Image: Hajime Aida)

Based on such a situation, it may be possible to commercialize it as a "mobile conference room" service with comfort, free movement, and confidentiality like a hire. It is said that this demonstration experiment started under such an idea. From the first vehicle, the vehicle used in the demonstration experiment uses the Nissan "Elgrand VIP" to seek comfort. This car has a luxurious 4-seater specification with 2 front seats + 2 rear seats, and especially the rear seats are equipped with power seats with ottomans that use high-quality genuine leather that can be placed in the living room, just like first class. You can enjoy the spaciousness and comfort. 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 large 32-inch monitor can be attached. A camera / speaker / microphone dedicated to the conference is built into this partition wall, and at the same time, the effect of improving the sound insulation with the front seats is also aimed at. In addition, Softbank's 5G / 4G is used as the communication network for web conferencing to realize a stable line environment. On the other hand, by improving the sound insulation with the front seats, it is naturally impossible to communicate with the driver. Therefore, in the demonstration experiment, a tablet called a "communication tool" was installed.