Hino Motors, Ltd. is partnering with Japanese road construction company Taisei Rotec to begin testing of unmanned autonomous vehicles in full-scale road surface durability tests.
The initiative with road construction company Taisei Rotec sees five heavy-duty Hino Profia (700 Series) prime mover and trailer combinations operate continuously without a driver on the company’s new 909m road surface testing track in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture.
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It is the first time in Japan that an unmanned truck with Level 4 autonomous driving will be put into 24-hour commercial operation.
“Level 4 autonomous vehicles are capable of performing all driving tasks without human intervention and this is the first commercialised example within a designated operational area,” Hino Australia president and CEO Richard Emery says.
“This is an excellent example of the cutting-edge technology and innovation that Hino Motors is capable of, and while the initiative is based in Japan, it is an insight into what the future holds for Australia.”
Road surfaces are repeatedly subjected to traffic loads from the wheels of cars and trucks, eventually causing cracks and road surface failure.
The continuous program is expected to significantly reduce the time and labour required for evaluating new road surfaces, with the data gathered from this operation helping to improve road surface durability and reducing long-term emissions.
Lidar and camera technology onboard the autonomous trucks detects obstacles while Global Navigation Satellite Systems linked to an automated traffic control system help maintain safe distances between vehicles and aid in movements between the test track and truck yard without human input.
In 2022, Australia’s first trial involving a highly automated truck was undertaken by Transurban using a Hino Profia (700 Series).
“The autonomous truck testing with Taisei Rotec is more than just another example of Hino’s ongoing leadership in technology and innovation – it also demonstrates our commitment to trialling new and emerging technologies to ensure they meet the needs of our customers,” Emery says.
Hino Australia is currently undertaking customer trials with light-duty Dutro (300 Series) Z-EV (Zero Emission Vehicle) battery electric trucks to determine their feasibility in the Australian market.
“We are in the unique situation where Hino is the only brand in Australia that is currently working on all three alternate drivetrain solutions – hybrid electric, hydrogen and battery electric,” Emery says.
“Hino 300 Series Hybrid Electric trucks have been reducing fuel costs and CO2 emissions for over 15 years with customers able to save up to 24 per cent in Wide Cab variants and 22 per cent in Standard Cab.
“Meanwhile our parent company, Hino Motors started trials for a heavy-duty Profia (700 Series) hydrogen truck more than two years ago.”
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