A U T O     B U Z Z

After two years of feasibility study and a year of preparation, Honda ICVS Singapore Pte Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Co Ltd Japan, recently put into operation the Intelligent Community Vehicle System (ICVS) in Singapore.

The bold research & development project aims to develop the most sophisticated technology in a multi-port system which would give Singapore and Honda a leading edge in advancing the ITS, Intelligent Transport System, and in enhancing the efficiency of urban transportation.

The ICVS service will be put on a rigorous trial for the first three months during which about 50 ICVS members will have access to a fleet of 15 Civic hybrid cars for their regular use during the day. More members, ports (designated parking lots) and up to 50 vehicles will be introduced in the first year of operation. Members can easily access these cars, which are housed in designated car parks, at three strategic locations in the Central Business District (CBD) – Wisma Atria, Millenia Walk and Market Street Car Park.

"Honda Motor's launch of its Intelligent Community Vehicle System in Singapore is a strong endorsement of Singapore's thrust to be an urban land transport solutions hub. It complements Singapore's efforts to develop an advanced infrastructure through market innovation and test-bedding of pioneering concepts for Intelligent Transport Systems. The EDB and other partner agencies such as the Land Transport Authority will continue to work closely to ensure an open and conducive environment for such innovation and test-bedding efforts to take place," said Mr Tan Suan Swee, Assistant Managing Director, Economic Development Board.

The ICVS project involves several prominent local partners. Kah Motor Co Sdn Bhd, the local distributor of Honda, is involved in the set-up of the vehicle and will support Honda in the maintenance and repair of the vehicles. National Computer Systems Pte Ltd has been jointly developing the control system with Honda and will be involved in the upgrade and maintenance of the system. CityCab Pte Ltd will provide operational support, which includes vehicle allocation and service recovery, and join Honda in test-bedding the operation in the coming months.

Endorsements given by the local real estate and car park management companies have been pivotal in making the launching of the ICVS service possible. They include Wisma Development Pte Ltd who manages Wisma Atria, Pontiac Marina Pte Ltd who manages Millenia Walk, and Premas International Ltd who manages Market Street Car Park.

Mr Satoshi Toshida, Managing Director of Honda Motor Co, Ltd, said: “Today, we are pleased to announce that ICVS Singapore is ready for the next phase of its development, which is to allow members to make use of the service in a robust city environment. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the Singapore government for supporting this test-bedding project. And also to all our partners, especially Kah Motor, National Computer Systems and CityCab, for their enormous confidence in the ICVS project and the tremendous support rendered to us.”

The Honda ICVS service operates through a multi-port system which allows members to pick up and return cars to different ports. With designated ports, members can be assured of a parking lot without hassle. Moreover, members can access the cars without prior booking as a comprehensive demand forecast re-allocation system tracks the movement of cars and ensures members have access to the vehicles. Unlike other schemes that require a minimum use of an hour, members are charged a flat fee for the first 30 minutes of daytime use and thereafter, charges are incurred on a per-minute basis.

Honda ICVS service provides three different modes of usage, namely daytime, overnight and weekend/public holiday, though only daytime use will be available during the first three months of trial. Members have the flexibility of integrating and switching between these modes of usage automatically without having to return the car.

Another important feature of Honda ICVS service is the Civic Hybrid car that runs on a petrol/electric hybrid engine. Boasting an Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system improved from that of Insight, the car makes use of kinetic energy and regenerative braking to achieve outstanding fuel economy of 29.5 km per liter. With a 1.3 liter i-DSI (dual and sequential ignition) lean-burn engine, the Civic Hybrid provides cleaner exhaust emission while offering superb performance and efficiency.

To access these intelligent cars, members simply flash their contactless smart card against the card reader to unlock the car door. They then enter their PIN (personal identification number) into the on-board touch screen to release the pop-up ignition key and begin their trips. On returning the car, they simply need to restore the car key and lock the car door with the smart card. Members are free to drive around anywhere within Singapore.

The ICVS was conceptualized by Honda in 1994 to more effectively utilize vehicles and parking spaces especially in the city. It was intended to be a solution to the traffic congestion and limited parking spaces in major cities where many vehicles were left idle in the car parks for most part of the day.

Honda ICVS Singapore Pte Ltd was established in February 2001 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Co, Ltd to research and develop for commercial introduction of the Honda ICVS service in Singapore.

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