Considerations on Ultra-Compact Mobility

Today, I will consider "Ultra-Compact Mobility".

When researching ultra-compact mobility, we find definitions such as the following.

It is, in a sense, a "small car", but why is its introduction being considered? The answer lies in the realization of a "decarbonized society".

When you go out to the streets and observe cars waiting at traffic lights, many passenger cars are designed for 4 to 8 people, yet they are mostly occupied by only the driver and front passenger, meaning there are typically two or fewer people. (Places of leisure on holidays are exceptions.)

Looking at the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, it shows that, similarly, both light vehicles and passenger cars areapproximately 80% occupied by a single person.

Furthermore, according to data regarding highway usage, it is stated that51% do not use it.

From the above alone, we can hypothesize that there is a certain demand for vehicles that are "for 1 to 2 people" and "cannot use the highway but are small and inexpensive".

In fact, the Ministry is expanding vehicle categories through verification experiments conducted nationwide under the ultra-compact mobility certification system.

Vehicles announced as of 2019 (Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)

It is expected that the variety of vehicles will increase even more in the future, and announcements from various manufacturers are becoming more frequent.

However, it is also difficult to imagine a future where each person owns one ultra-compact mobility vehicle. More than the number of vehicle types and units, it will be essential to establish a system that efficiently dispatches and allocates vehicles and supplies them to those who need them.

Today's reference material:"Results and Future of Ultra-Compact Mobility" Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Automotive Bureau Environmental Policy Division