T2 and Mitsubishi Estate announced on August 21 that they had begun the first-ever demonstration of autonomous truck operation inside a logistics facility in Japan at a logistics facility (Ota Ward, Tokyo) owned by the Mitsubishi Estate Group's Tokyo Ryutsu Center in July.
<Scenes from a demonstration of autonomous truck driving inside a logistics facility building>
Since forming a capital and business alliance in June 2023, the two companies have been working on developing an environment and technology that will enable Level 4 autonomous trucks to operate inside buildings, based on the idea that unmanned truck operation not only on highways but also within key logistics facilities will lead to seamless transportation and labor savings. This demonstration project is intended to confirm the effectiveness of these efforts.
Mitsubishi Estate has designated next-generation core logistics facilities, directly connected to highway interchanges, which it plans to deploy in major metropolitan areas nationwide, as departure and arrival points for its T2 Level 4 autonomous trucks. By enabling "in-building driving," which is considered technically challenging, the company aims to achieve unmanned transportation between loading and unloading berths at core logistics facilities and berths at other facilities.
