Pse and Radio Law certification for electric kickboards are progressing toward practical use in Japan for the second consecutive year

Hello. It is a hori of the manager.

This time, it is an interview article to the company that we did on behalf of the certification.

The customer we will be taking up is moby ride Co., Ltd., which asked for permission and approval certification for electric kickboards last year and this year. This time, I will write the story of this year's certification mainly.

The electric kickboards we handle are produced by world-famous Chinese manufacturers, and the company itself is perfect, but there is also procedural complexity that arises because it is a major manufacturer, and as a result, it has been delayed by several months from the desired end time.

Basically, I was in close contact with Mr. Ataka in charge, so if there is an event that is likely to be delayed, I will report it one after another, and we have received understanding and response.

The certification that was exactly in the mountains and valleys was over, and I think that there were some complaints at the time of the interview, but when I asked, "No, I was not particularly dissatisfied, I am grateful for your response very well". We also feel very grateful, but I would like to publish the article because I think that there is a part that readers can refer to.

Requester

Moby ride Co., Ltd.
Shuichi Ataka
Official website: https://mobbyride.jp/

Based in Kyushu and Fukuoka, we are developing a share service "mobby" that allows you to rent electric kickboards only when you want to use them. In order to make it easier to ride an electric kickboard in Japan, we are conducting demonstration tests in various places and working on maintenance.

*Demonstration of public roads in Kobe City

The electric kickboard is a vehicle with two wheels in front and rear equipped with an electric motor.

First of all, you start to ride by kicking the ground, and when the running is stable, you can accelerate with the lever of the steering wheel part.

Both acceleration and brakes can be controlled with a lever, so you can ride immediately without remembering complicated operations.

A new vehicle loved all over the world, mainly in the United States and Europe.

Business overview of moby ride Co., Ltd.

Hori: Before you suddenly get into the certification story, could you briefly explain what kind of business your company is developing using electric kickboards?

Ataka-sama (hereinafter referred to as "Ataka): We are a venture company that provides users with "new means of transportation" using electric kickboards.

Ataka: The explanation of the electric kickboard itself is as described above, but we are the first company in Japan to develop a service that does not require a license, does not require staff to return loans (full self-service), and allows you to freely move between multiple dedicated ports.

Ataka: At present, we are limited to private land, but we are developing services in Japan very close to the electric kickboard sharing service commonly used in other countries. However, under the current Japanese law, electric kickboards fall under the category of motorized bicycles, and there are various conditions for use on public roads, so it is difficult to use them safely and easily.

Ataka: Under such a current, we are currently encouraging people who have a vast site area, mainly local governments, schools, and companies, to incorporate electric kickboards as a means of transportation there.

Hori: Mobby ride's success is remarkable, and it has been taken up considerably in the media.
If you are interested, please refer to the link below.
・ Mobby ride, Toyota Motor Kyushu, and Miyata Plant start large-scale introduction of electric kickboards and electric kickboard sharing service "mobby" demonstration experiment @ Kyushu University Ito campus startup proposal type demonstration experiment project "Urban Urban" Demonstration experiment of "mobby" electric kickboard of Innovation KOBE+P

Ataka: Features outside of our business model include a small number of elites making reasonable proposals to customers at no cost, and the high quality of our products because we use world-renowned Chinese electric kickboard manufacturers.

Ataka: On the other hand, of course, there is no certification department in-house, and there is no resource that can negotiate certification with Chinese manufacturers, so we asked INSIGHT WORKS to authenticate as a company that satisfies our certification needs.

* The company is located in a public-private-private startup support facility in Fukuoka City.

How I asked INSIGHT WORKS for authentication

Ataka: This was about our predecessor, but when we still had our main office in Tokyo, we were looking for an agency to certify the first kickboard. At that time, our business partners introduced INSIGHT WORKS and called out to us.

Hori: I also heard that story for the first time. We did not have a direct transaction with that person, but we must have made a decision by looking at the website etc. Thank you very much.

Ataka: So, I asked Mr. Hori to talk to us, and I was very detailed about certification, and I thought that it was talked about from a very real experience rather than a theory on the desk, so I felt that I could leave it to me with peace of mind.

Ataka: In addition, the electric kickboards we handle are multiple certifications, such as radio law function, IoT (4G), rechargeable battery (round PSE), charging station (diamond PSE), and if each is asked by a separate company, it will take time and cost, insight can handle everything in one place, INSIGHT can handle everything at once, In addition, it was also a big point that it was possible to negotiate in Chinese with engineers of Chinese manufacturers to be imported.

Hori: Thank you for your words. While we also act on behalf of business operators, we also certify our own sales products, so we support certification from the standpoint of the business operator.

Hori: In addition, our strengths are that we can handle all certifications, and that we can negotiate with chinese manufacturers (factories) and native speakers, which are import destinations.

Ataka: Since this interview is mainly about this certification, I will omit the previous story, but last time I had good communication with Chinese engineers of our business partners as expected, and I was able to clear all certifications.

Ataka: In addition, the certification itself was conducted in China, but Mr. Hori responded and supported variously such as contact in Japan and application procedures to relevant ministries and agencies.

Ataka: This time, we needed to certify a new kickboard different from the previous one, so we decided to continue asking INSIGHT WORKS for certification.

Hori: I remember feeling very happy that Mr. Ataka contacted me again around June of this year and was able to evaluate my work last year.

Hori: Regarding certification, I would like to add a little supplement, ioT (4G) was that manufacturers would purchase and use modules that have already been certified by radio laws, so we only confirmed the certification certificate and label display, and for charging stations, we confirmed the sub-book application and label label display.

Hori: Also, this time, we were able to confirm that it was basically the same authentication as last time.

* Demonstration of sandbox certification of regulations on Kyushu University Ito Campus

Difficulties since the start of this certification: Sudden NDA fastening request, battery manufacturer mistake of battery test, radio law T mark certification cannot be found

Hori: I'm sorry to say that it was a certification that would cause difficulties one after another.

Ataka: Yes. It was a series of surprises lol. To be honest, I've been interacting with Chinese manufacturers about electric kickboards for a long time, and the person in charge experienced the last certification, so I thought there wouldn't be a big problem. However, I feel again that it is very difficult to work with a company in another country that crosses the sea.

NDA conclusion request

Hori: First of all, you signed an NDA (nondisclosure agreement) with an inspection organization regarding radio law certification.

Ataka: Yes. The kickboard to be certified this time is a new model for Chinese manufacturers, so I was afraid that information inside the product would be leaked to the outside.

Hori: But that being said, in order to authenticate japan's radio law, we need to obtain information inside the product before we can proceed. When the manufacturer was a little confused, we proposed concluding an NDA with an inspection organization dealing with technical materials, etc., and the manufacturer was able to provide technical materials with peace of mind.

Ataka: Before I authenticated, I didn't say a word like that, but as soon as authentication started, I was honestly impatient that authentication would stop. However, INSIGHT WORKS proposed concluding an NDA, and the manufacturer seemed to be convinced, so it was very helpful.

Hori: We were able to solve the problem by concluding an NDA, but in any case, the schedule was delayed by nearly a month due to the exchange of contracts. At present, emerging Chinese manufacturers are very sensitive to the leakage of technical information.

Battery test battery manufacturer mistake

Ataka: Next is one thing that I can't laugh at.

Hori: Normally, it is necessary to prepare a large amount of battery (cell pack) samples to certify lithium-ion batteries for charging, so it will take a reasonable number of days to start inspection.

Ataka: To be honest, it was an impression that it took a little time to prepare from the beginning, but if you were relieved that the sample was still ready, Hori-san contacted me that there was a difference between the battery manufacturer of the sample that arrived and the name of the battery manufacturer written in the specifications, and my eyes became a point.

Hori: I'm going to face down the specific name of the battery manufacturer, but it's certainly easy to confuse companies, so that's what happens. In the end, the PSE test of the battery became the most pulling form.

Ataka: However, first of all, it is large that you noticed that the battery manufacturer is different in the first place, and even if it happens, I think that we could not immediately arrange samples with the correct manufacturer with our only correspondence, so I feel that that point also helped me quite a bit.

I can't find the Radio Act T Mark Certificate

Hori: This was the last fort. As mentioned earlier, since the IoT (4G) part of the product is already purchased and used by an electric kickboard manufacturer with a module certified by radio law, mobby ride does not need to perform any special certification, and it is sufficient to order a certificate held by the supplier.

Ataka: I had ordered a certificate from the manufacturer, but Mr. Hori pointed out that there was no certification for the T mark.

Hori: In general, two certifications for 4G certification are issued: R Mark (Radio Law) and T Mark (Telecommunications Business Act). And at the time of the last project, there were both R mark and T mark certification. In other words, it should be natural this time, and it was just supposed to be a confirmation omission on the manufacturer side.

Ataka: Hori-san said that, and when I checked with the person in charge of the manufacturer, I said a word of "No!". It was over the head whether it had come here and it ended.

Hori: 4G certification is very expensive, so it is quite strict to cover with one company, and it is common to use a certified module. After listening to Mr. Ataka's story, it should not be, so I checked with suppliers in China directly from our side.

Ataka: I felt like I was stuck in straw in Hori-san's response, but the answer was dumbfounded and he said, "There was it!" I don't know how the person in charge of the manufacturer confirmed it at the beginning, but I strongly thought that it was important to check this kind of confirmation widely without swallowing the words of one person.

Hori: In the meantime, the battery test was completed, and all certifications were completed along with the radio method test that had already ended and the issuance of a supplementary book of the charging station.

What's good about INSIGHT WORKS: Negotiation skills with factory engineers, frequently communicated, and ability to deal with problems

Ability to negotiate with factory engineers

Ataka: Even if you notice a mistake over there, I feel that it is very difficult to point out the problem on the factory side that I had just mentioned earlier and point it in the right direction. Even if it is simply said that "trajectory correction", I think that high know-how added to the language (Chinese) is necessary.

Ataka: In addition, the factory asks for technical documents to be certified, but I am quite worried whether I can understand by Chinese engineers who are not native speakers, and even if I tell them in English, it is unclear whether the other party really understands it, so insight works services are very helpful in such respects.

Hori: Since radio law and PSE are Japanese laws, it is difficult to get Chinese personnel to understand it, and even if chinese people interact with each other, there are many misinterpretations. In that sense, we are very pleased that our service was useful.

Small contact

Ataka: As I mentioned earlier, it is true that authentication was delayed due to various circumstances, but there are places where I think this is unavoidable. However, I think the biggest problem is that I do not know why I was late, and I can not understand how much recovery will be recovered.

Ataka: In that regard, Hori-san contacted me as soon as there was anything, so it was very helpful to be able to always grasp the current situation.

Hori: I wish you were progressing normally, but on the contrary, there seemed to be a lot of bad news to contact Mr. Ataka, and I'm sorry about that lol.

Ataka: That's unavoidable lol. However, I was able to tell you the bad news firmly, so it is also true that I was able to leave it with peace of mind.

Hori: It would be encouraging if you could say that. As for this, Mr. Ataka who will reply without fail if you let me know was very easy to work.

Ataka: Also, it was good that if you asked a question from here, you could always look up and answer various things.

Hori: I think that the definition of "certification agency" varies from company to company, but we believe that "certification agency" combines the technical capabilities to ensure successful certification with the service power to answer the client's questions as much as possible.

Ability to respond to problems

Ataka: We received various factory support, but what was particularly impressive was the fact that there was no certification for the last IoT (4G) T mark certification.

Ataka: As I said earlier, I thought that this certification was "packed", but when I said that there should be absolutely it, and asked the module supplier to check, I was happy and surprised when the certificate came out, and I felt indescribable.

Hori: There is a sense that it is rare to go from start to finish when working as a certification agency, and we have managed to deal with many problems so far, so our ability to respond in such a case is also a hidden strength of our company.

*Fukuoka City Mayor Takashima also participated in public road demonstration

What I think after I've completed the certification

Hori: What I say is that I am glad it ended safely.

Ataka: It was a series of problems, so lol. However, we have accumulated knowledge and experience in certification, and I think that the Chinese manufacturer and the other party have learned how to do it.

Hori: Actually, I have the impression that Chinese engineers are getting used to it much more than last year.

Ataka: As our business, in the sense of providing better services to users, of course, the location and method of provision are also important, but updates to use new and high-performance electric kickboards will also be an important theme. Therefore, I think that new authentication will be required by ourselves.

Hori: Last time, I would like to use this experience to provide a smoother and more reliable certification service together with your company and Chinese manufacturers.

Ataka: While conducting business to promote regulatory reform, we intend to respond to the regulations (certifications) that should be complied with, of course, and we would like you to continue to help us in the future. Thank you very much.

Hori: We would appreciate it if you could give us as much support as possible. Thank you very much this time. We wish you more success.

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