Following up from a preliminary agreement made in March 2024, Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. are set to form a joint venture by the end of this year. The focus for which lies in developing and delivering services centred around self-driving and electric vehicle (EV) tech.
This venture will introduce Level 4 autonomous driving technology, where vehicles can operate without human input under certain conditions, alongside EV battery solutions for home energy use.
The joint venture’s vision is to launch unmanned taxi services and other autonomous solutions as early as next year. Nissan will lead vehicle development, whilst Mitsubishi will advance an AI-based system designed to optimise route planning.
These autonomous services will first roll out in Yokohama and Namie with the goal of aligning their offerings with recent government-driven deregulation in the autonomous driving sector.
In addition to autonomous mobility, the joint venture will explore Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, allowing EV owners to directly use stored energy from their vehicles at home or sell surplus power back to energy companies, creating an alternative energy source and potential income opportunity.
Nissan and Mitsubishi are also setting up a recycling initiative for used EV batteries, aiming to repurpose and recycle these resources domestically rather than exporting them for secondary use abroad.
This partnership is a strategic move by both Nissan and Mitsubishi to advance Japan’s mobility sector while addressing challenges in sustainable energy and resource reuse.
Through this collaboration, Nissan aims to generate JPY 2.5 Trillion (RM 78 Billion) in revenue from autonomous and EV services by 2030. Mitsubishi, meanwhile, anticipates a rise in automation demand as Japan confronts demographic challenges, including a declining birthrate, ageing population, and labour shortages.
Source: JapanNews
