Hino has announced it has teamed up with a road construction company Taisei Rotec to commence the use of unmanned, autonomous vehicles in full-scale road surface durability tests.
Hino claims the initiative will see five heavy-duty Hino 700 Series prime mover and trailer combinations continuously operating without a driver on Taisei Rotec’s new 909-metre road surface testing track in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture.
Hino claims 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,” said Hino Australia, president and CEO, Richard Emery.
“This is an excellent example of the cutting-edge technology and innovation that Hino Motors, Ltd. is capable of, and while the initiative is based in Japan, it is an insight into what the future holds for Australia,” Emery continued.
Road surfaces are repeatedly subjected to traffic loads from the wheels of cars and trucks, eventually causing cracks and road surface failure.
According to Hino 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.
The company says that 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, Hino claims that Australia’s first trial, involving a highly automated truck was undertaken by Transurban using a Hino 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,” said Emery.
Hino in 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,” said Emery.
“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% in Wide Cab variants and 22% in Standard Cab.
“Meanwhile our parent company, Hino Motors, Ltd. started trials for a heavy-duty Profia (700 Series) hydrogen truck more than two years ago,” he concluded.
