On December 10th, T2 and Nestlé Japan began a trial to transport "Nescafé" on expressways using autonomous trucks developed by T2. For the Kansai-to-Kanto route, Level 2 autonomous driving will be used for approximately 430km of the 640km journey from Nestlé Japan's Himeji factory in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, to the logistics base in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, from the Takatsuki Junction on the Meishin Expressway to the Ayase Smart Interchange on the Tomei Expressway.
<An autonomous T2 truck departing from Nestlé Japan's Himeji factory>
For transportation from the Kansai region to the Kanto region, Level 2 autonomous driving will be implemented for approximately 450 km of the 500 km journey from the logistics base in Yokohama City to the logistics base in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, specifically from the Tomei Expressway Ayase Smart Interchange to the Meishin Expressway Nishinomiya Interchange.
The demonstration is scheduled to be conducted a total of four times between December 10, 2025 and August 2026. Based on the results of the demonstration, Nestlé Japan will participate in the commercial operation of "Level 2" autonomous trucks, which T2 will commercialize in Japan for the first time in 2025, with the aim of establishing regular service.
In the future, T2 also plans to participate in trunk line transportation services using "Level 4" autonomous trucks, which it aims to launch in fiscal year 2027.
■ Overview of the demonstration
Period and number of sessions: A total of four sessions are planned between December 10, 2025 and August 2026.
Cargo: Nescafé Gold Blend (bottles and refill packs) for the Kansai to Kanto region, and Nescafé Dolce Gusto capsules for the Kanto to Kansai region.
Roles of both companies: Nestlé Japan = Selection of bases and routes, arrangement of test cargo; T2 = Overall management, arrangement of experimental vehicles.
Verification Contents: Verification of autonomous driving routes and lead times for trunk line transport carrying cargo; verification of the effectiveness of assumed operation patterns; verification of the effectiveness of transport using low-carbon fuels.
Nestlé Japan/New rail route for product transport from Ibaraki Prefecture to the Tohoku region
