DENSO Corporation (DENSO), the world’s second largest mobility supplier, today announced it will establish a new facility at Haneda Airport in Tokyo to develop and test automated driving technologies. The facility, which is expected to be complete by June 2020, will feature a building and proving ground for mobility systems R&D and will advance DENSO’s worldwide efforts to create a future that’s safer and more sustainable for all. This new location is part of the Haneda Airport Unused Land Zone 1 Redevelopment Project, a broader initiative led by Tokyo’s Ota City, DENSO and other entities to transform underutilized space at the airport into a hub for leading-edge technology development and mixed-use cultural facilities.
This announcement follows DENSO’s establishment of its Global R&D Tokyo facility In April 2018, an automated driving R&D office near Shinagawa Station in Minato City, Tokyo, to promote collaboration and open innovation with its development partners, which include automakers, universities, research institutes and startups. The new facility will include a building to develop prototypes and maintain test vehicles, and also a proving ground to conduct live, in-vehicle tests. This will enable DENSO to take an integrated approach to the development of automated driving in Tokyo because the new facility at Haneda Airport can develop and test prototypes based on automated driving technology planned, researched and developed by Global R&D Tokyo in Shinagawa.
The Haneda area is designated a National Strategic Special Zone, where a regulatory sandbox system* is adopted to allow for field tests of advanced mobility technologies on public roads, including automated driving. Additionally, the Haneda area in Ota City is a hotbed for developers, startups and manufacturers of new-age technologies and applications for a wide range of use. DENSO will utilize the National Strategic Special Zone system and work with manufacturers in Ota City to develop and test prototypes more seamlessly and speed development of automated driving technology.
DENSO will continue to develop technologies and products in the fields of safety and the environment, to help create a new mobile society to improve people’s lives.
* Regulatory sandbox system
A system to create a controlled environment without existing regulations where a limited number of project participants can verify their innovations including new technologies during a limited period of time, in order to collect data to rapidly obtain test results and determine if regulatory reform is needed
Profile of New Facility
| 1. Location | Parts of 1-chome and 2-chome, Haneda Airport, Ota City, Tokyo |
|---|---|
| 2. Establishment | June 2020 (planned) |
| 3. Employees | Approx. 200 (projected for the time of the establishment) |
| 4. Function | Developing prototype automated driving technologies and conducting in-vehicle tests |
Conceptual drawing
About DENSO Corporation
DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan has approximately 220 subsidiaries in 35 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs approximately 170,000 people worldwide. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, totaled US$48.1 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com, or visit our media website at www.denso.com/global/en/news/media-center/
