Launch of Public Road Demonstration Tests of Autonomous Driving Technology Utilizing Heavy-duty Trucks on the Shin-Tomei Expressway

Toyota Tsusho Corporation
Advanced Smart Mobility Co., Ltd.
Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.
Mizuho Research & Technologies, Ltd.
Isuzu Motors Limited
Hino Motors, Ltd.
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation
UD Trucks Corporation
 

Toyota Tsusho Corporation (“Toyota Tsusho”), Advanced Smart Mobility Co., Ltd. (“Advanced Smart Mobility”), Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. (“Nippon Koei”), and Mizuho Research & Technologies, Ltd. (“Mizuho Research & Technologies”) have been contracted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism (MLIT) in fiscal 2021 to perform the “Efforts to commercialize high-performance trucks on expressways (Theme 3)”^*1 of the “Project on Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment (RDD&D) of Automated Driving toward the Level 4^*2 and its Enhanced Mobility Services (RoAD to the L4).” In addition, most recently, the four companies have been working toward the social implementation of Level 4 autonomous driving trucks, including being selected as Demonstration Experiment of Autonomous Driving Truck by Roadside-to-Vehicle Coordination on Expressway.”^*3

The above four companies, along with four commercial vehicle manufacturers - Isuzu Motors Limited (“Isuzu”), Hino Motors, Ltd. (“Hino”), Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (“MFTBC”), and UD Trucks Corporation (“UD Trucks”) announced today that the commencement of driving tests using heavy-duty trucks with automated driving technology on the Shin-Tomei Expressway.

１.    Background and Purposes of Project

To solve social issues such as driver shortages, the four companies, which are the contractors for this project, together with the four manufacturers, logistics companies, and other related parties, are aiming for the social implementation of autonomous driving trucks on expressway from fiscal 2026 onward through a joint public-private effort. To date, METI and MLIT have conducted “Demonstrations for Social Implementation of Truck Platooning”^*4 (fiscal 2016-2020), which has demonstrated technology for truck platooning without drivers in the following vehicles.
The ongoing initiative, which is running from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2025, aims to achieve independent driverless driving between relay areas such as logistics facilities, service areas, and parking areas around expressways and verifies support from external infrastructure equipment, operations such as monitoring and management, and vehicle functions necessary for such operations.

[Driving concept for future autonomous driving trucks]
 

２.    Overview of Demonstration Tests

In these demonstration tests, we will separately confirm and verify the multiple functions that are necessary for the social implementation of autonomous driving between the Surugawan-Numazu service area and the Hamamatsu service area on the Shin-Tomei Expressway.
Specifically, we will confirm and verify the automatic departure/arrival system that automatically starts and parks the vehicle at departure and arrival points, the braking function to stop the vehicle in case of emergency, the usefulness of information on broken-down vehicles and fallen objects transmitted from roadside equipment such as ITS spots^*5 installed around the road, and remote monitoring functions while driving.

３.    Future Initiatives

Based on the evaluation results of these demonstration tests, in fiscal 2025, the final year of the project, we plan to verify the process from vehicle departure at a service area to merging and changing lanes on the main line and parking at the destination under conditions closer to those of actual driving.
In addition, we plan to conduct demonstration experiments utilizing priority lanes for autonomous driving vehicles, which is one of the Early Harvest Projects “Setting up CAV(Connected Autonomous Vehicles) corridors”^*6 under the “Digital Lifeline Development Plan” led by METI.

４.    Roles of Each Company

*1 Four initiatives (Themes 1 to 4) have been established for the realization and spread of driverless autonomous driving services, and the “Initiative Toward the Commercialization of High-performance Trucks on Expressways (Theme 3)” is one of them.
(Reference) Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry:
https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/mono_info_service/mono/automobile/Automated-driving/automated-driving.html

*2 Level 4 autonomous driving is defined as a state in which the autonomous driving device replaces all driving operations in a limited area that meets specific driving environment conditions.
(Reference) Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism:
https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/content/001377364.pdf

*3 Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism:
https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/road01_hh_001845.html

*4 Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism:
https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/jidosha07_hh_000362.html

*5 Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) is an infrastructure for providing traffic information using information and communication devices installed on roads, enabling drivers to receive real-time traffic information and safety information.

*6 Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry:
https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/mono_info_service/digital_architecture/lifeline.html
 

Reference: Overview of Each Company

Overview of Toyota Tsusho

Overview of Advanced Smart Mobility

Overview of Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.

Overview of Mizuho Research & Technologies

Overview of Isuzu 

Overview of Hino

Overview of MFTBC

Overview of UD Trucks