DOCOMO and WHILL Collaborate on Personal Vehicle Sharing System
TOKYO, JAPAN, March 25, 2015 – NTT DOCOMO, INC., a personalized mobile solutions provider for smarter living, and WHILL Inc., a next-generation personal vehicle developer, announced today they will integrate one of WHILL’s compact single-passenger electric vehicles and DOCOMO’s personal-vehicle-sharing system technologies to offer to local governments and enterprise customers in Japan.
The WHILL Model A is a 4WD personal mobility device with segmented, all-directional front wheels for enhanced maneuverability over slopes, bumps and other varied surfaces.
The vehicles will be integrated with DOCOMO technologies for wireless communication, GPS and remote control, which will be combined in a wireless system for the management of shared vehicles.
The collaboration will expand the availability of the WHILL Model A for shared-vehicle systems, allowing the elderly and people with disabilities to travel more freely in spaces such as public facilities and amusement parks. The two companies will begin accepting orders from April 1.
WHILL has been funded by NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of DOCOMO, since 2014.
For further information, please contact:
NTT DOCOMO
Mr. Aya Hokamura or Mr. So Hiroki
Public Relations Department
Tel: +81-3-5156-1366
Fax: +81-3-5501-3408
Website: www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english
WHILL, Inc.
Chris Koyama
chris@whill.inc
Tel: +1-4156-38-3937
Website: https://whill.inc/us
About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO provides innovative, convenient and secure mobile services that enable smarter living for each customer. The company serves over 65 million mobile customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world’s first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english for more information.
About WHILL, Inc.
Based in San Francisco and Tokyo, WHILL is an award-winning hardware company transforming the personal mobility space with unmatched cutting edge design and technology. Winner of IDEA Award and Red Dot Award. For more information visit https://whill.inc/us or follow WHILL on Twitter: @_WHILL.
