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Honda's intelligent transport solution
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Honda's Intelligent Community Vehicle System - ICVS - is a fully automated limited range regional transport system for the near future in which system members share environmentally friendly vehicles such as small electric and hybrid cars and electric-power assisted bicycles. ICVS is designed to integrate with members' private vehicles as well as public transportation to help reduce the burden conventional vehicles place on the environment and alleviate problems such as parking space limitations and traffic congestion without making transportation any less convenient. |
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The idea was announced in September 1998, since when public test drives of ICVS vehicles have been conducted at Honda's Twin Ring Motegi complex. In March of this year, more than 200 students at the University of California at Riverside started a real-life, year long evaluation programme - Intelli Share - using 15 Honda EV PLUS electric cars. The heart of the ICVS system is a smart card which gives access to the system, the vehicle of choice, calculates possible rental fees, unlocks and starts the vehicle. Users can access the system at any of a number of 'ports' using their smart card and computer screens. Vehicles automatically recharge at the ports when not in use. In the Californian assessment three ports have been set up on the campus where after entering information on estimated trip time and distance a vehicle is allocated to the user. In theory any number of ports can be created on the ICVS system which uses real-time radio communications to allow the control centre to optimise vehicle availability. Should the mix of vehicles at ports become unbalanced, a system worker driving an ICVS vehicle can lead up to four unmanned vehicles to another port using technology that includes inter vehicle communications and ultra wide angle laser radar. Honda's ICVS system proposes four basic vehicles - the Racoon electric-power assisted bicycle; Mon Pal electric powered single seater ride-on; Step Deck single seater 50 cc motor/electric hybrid and City Pal electric powered two seater car.
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