News

SoftBank Corp.
PS Solutions Corp.

SoftBank Corp. (hereinafter "SoftBank"; Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Ken Miyauchi) and PS Solutions Corp. (hereinafter "PS Solutions"; Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Amane Kito) of the SoftBank Group are launching an Internet of Moving Things^*1 business that enables the mobile interconnection of personal mobility^*2 vehicles to the network, in cooperation with Oracle Corporation Japan (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Hiroshige Sugihara). As a first step in this business, PS Solutions launched operations of a personal mobility rental service, SETOUCHI KAREN, in Teshima, Tonosho-cho, Shozu-gun in Kagawa Prefecture on March 26, 2016.

SETOUCHI KAREN uses motor scooters ("Honda EV-neo") as personal mobility vehicles mounted with a device that connects to SoftBank's mobile interconnection network. This enables real-time capture and visualization of location information of the personal mobility vehicle. In addition to the mechanism that monitors the operation status at the central control center, the device automatically detects any dangerous driving, such as rapid acceleration or braking, and off-course driving. Ubiden, an EV charging & authentication system developed by SoftBank as a component of the EV charging infrastructure, is also adopted in SETOUCHI KAREN.

In the future of the Internet of Moving Things business, both SoftBank and PS Solutions will continue to develop diverse services, including the EV charging & authentication service Ubiden, for the personal mobility field, with a view to overseas expansion. Oracle Cloud Platform, an enterprise-grade cloud platform, provides the service infrastructure for this business.

*1     IoT specializing in movable bodies and mobility

*2    Concept of next-generation automobiles, including single or twin-seater compact motored concept cars and stand-riding motored two-wheelers made with the latest technologies, that are intended to be used for traveling within a certain area.

■Overview of SETOUCHI KAREN

1. How to use

You can make a reservation and pay for the service in advance on the official website: http://www.setouchi-karen.com.
The personal mobility EV-neo vehicles are available for rental at the rental & return base at Teshima Ieura Port.

2. Service starting date

March 26, 2016 (Sat.)

3. Rental fee

3,800 yen per day (tax included)
* Rental fee may change without notice. Check the website for the current rental fee.

4. Personal mobility vehicles

EV-neo scooters provided by Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Class 1 motor scooter)

Image of SETOUCHI KAREN

EV-neo

■Roles and goals

[SoftBank Corp.]

The energy use transaction engine Ubiden, which tracks the user, purpose, time, location, and amount of charging when the vehicle is charged, is provided as the battery charging infrastructure for the personal mobility vehicles. Ubiden adopts a proprietary individual recognition technology that enables authentication by scanning the individual's ID number when plugged in. Linked with the cloud system, this solution achieves next-generation energy lifestyles where data on how much electricity is being used and for what is collected. With Teshima Ieura Port as the base and EV charging stations at various locations on the island, SoftBank will provide an environment where electrical outlets with the Ubiden mark are freely available to users.

[PS Solutions Corp.]

PS Solutions will operate the personal mobility rental service business SETOUCHI KAREN in Teshima. To promote and popularize energy efficient, low-carbon personal mobility service, PS Solutions aims to create a consolidated service with personal mobility vehicles, including the scooters, utilizing the personal mobility usage analysis data. The ways to benefit from personal mobility will be offered as a service package and promoted to cities in Japan and abroad affected by air pollution or other environmental challenges as a part of the personal mobility transportation infrastructure connected to the mobile interconnection network.

[Oracle Corporation Japan]

Oracle Japan provides the Oracle Cloud Platform, which includes Oracle Internet of Things Cloud Service, Oracle Database Cloud Service, and Oracle Java Cloud Service. Through real-time linkage with personal mobility vehicles, the SETOUCHI KAREN system collects and analyzes vehicle information, locational information, and charging status, drawing on the IoT service infrastructure built on these cloud services. The IoT service infrastructure easily and flexibly allows for real-time service recommendations to users and warnings to users driving outside of the service area based on locational information. Oracle Japan aims to swiftly establish an environment that supports both the improved convenience of personal mobility and service monitoring from a holistic point of view.

• SoftBank and its trade name and logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of the SoftBank Group Corp. in Japan and other countries.

• The descriptions, products, specifications, contact information, and other information provided in this press release material are as of the publication date. The above information is subject to change without notice.