On November 2024, 11, Saitama Institute of Technology, Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture, and INPEX JAPAN Co., Ltd. held a test drive of an autonomous bus fueled by renewable diesel (RD) at the "Furusato Fukaya Shibusawa Studies" Forum held in Fukaya City. This is the first attempt in Japan to run an autonomous bus using RD.
Renewable diesel is a diesel fuel derived from renewable resources. It is produced from waste cooking oil and animal fats that are not food rivals, and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 90 percent compared to petroleum-derived diesel based on a life cycle assessment. It is mainly used in transport trucks and buses, and can be used as a drop-in fuel with existing vehicles and refueling facilities, and has already been widely distributed, mainly in Europe and the United States.
At this test drive event, about 200 people, mostly elementary school students from the local city of Fukaya, test drove this RD-fueled self-driving bus, which ran on a special course of about 1.7 kilometers on public roads around Fukaya Civic Cultural Center, with the cooperation of Fukaya Tourist Bus Co., Ltd. The elementary school students were very interested in the self-driving bus, which was their first experience, and seemed to enjoy it.
RD is expected to be used more widely in various fields in the future as a next-generation renewable fuel that can minimize the introduction costs of decarbonization measures and contribute greatly to reducing GHG emissions. Saitama Institute of Technology hopes that this experiment will help children who will lead Fukaya City in the future to learn about carbon neutrality and autonomous driving technology, which are difficult to come into contact with in everyday life, through real-life experience rather than just at a desk.
The "Furusato Fukaya Shibusawa Studies" forum, where the test drive was held, aims to share the current efforts of each school and to further enhance "Furusato Fukaya Shibusawa Studies" through presentations and exhibitions by children who have learned from the spirit of "ambition and loyalty" of local hero Eiichi Shibusawa. In April 2024, Fukaya City, Saitama Gas, and INPEX signed a comprehensive partnership agreement on regional revitalization, and this initiative was realized as part of that agreement. They will continue to work together to further promote regional revitalization and aim for sustainable urban development.
The RD used this time was procured by Itochu Corporation, which has a collaborative relationship with the INPEX Group, from Neste OYJ Group (headquartered in Finland), the world's largest renewable fuel manufacturer, and was supplied to INPEX JAPAN by Itochu Enex Co., Ltd.
