OSAKA -- Panasonic aims to offer various services with autonomous electric cars, including ferrying elderly people in depopulated areas, teaming with startups to dive into next-generation transport services as consumers shift toward using vehicles rather than owning them.
The Japanese electronics company hopes to enter the realm known as "mobility as a service" with low-speed vehicles by 2030, drawing on its experience making batteries for U.S. electric-vehicle maker Tesla. It will independently develop a platform as a basis for vehicles that can carry passengers or cargo, and team up with electric-car startups to develop and produce body components.
