By GO TAKAHASHI/ Staff Writer
July 6, 2023 at 18:04 JST
A self-driving truck that T2 Inc. is using for demonstration experiments (Provided by T2 Inc.)
To cope with a shortage of truck drivers, the government plans to designate a lane for self-driving vehicles on the Shin-Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture in fiscal 2024.
Officials aim to introduce distribution services by autonomous trucks in fiscal 2026, at the earliest, following trial runs.
Self-driving vehicles can operate between the Surugawan-Numazu service area and the Hamamatsu service area on the Shin-Tomei Expressway in the middle of the night.
The approximately 120-kilometer stretch has three lanes each way.
The government plans to decide details, such as whether the lane will be dedicated for automated driving and what types of vehicles will be allowed, by the end of March.
The transportation industry is suffering from a shortage of drivers, which is expected to be aggravated in fiscal 2024, when overtime regulations with penalties will come into force.
Mitsubishi Estate Co. plans to start unmanned transportation service with T2 Inc., a self-driving system developer, as early as 2026.
The real estate company will build “next-generation core distribution facilities” directly connected with expressway interchanges in the Kanto, Chukyo and Kansai regions to serve self-driving trucks.
The facility in the Kansai region is scheduled to be completed in 2026 around the Uji-Tawara Interchange that is planned on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Joyo, Kyoto Prefecture.
T2 Inc., which was established in August by trading house Mitsui & Co. and an artificial intelligence startup, will prepare 50 10-ton trucks capable of automated driving before the service starts. Up to 2,000 trucks will be on hand by 2031.
The company, based in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, plans to provide the transportation service mainly along the Shin-Tomei and Shin-Meishin expressways using Mitsubishi Estate’s distribution facilities.
T2 has been conducting demonstration experiments of manned self-driving trucks on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway.
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