On July 13, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism began accepting applications for the second round of the "Autonomous Driving Truck Implementation Support Project," which supports efforts toward the early social implementation of freight transport using autonomous driving trucks on expressways, including the introduction of autonomous driving trucks, the development of compatible logistics bases, and the construction of systems. The application period is until noon on August 7 (applications must be received by this time).
Eligible businesses include logistics companies (freight trucking companies, freight forwarding companies, warehousing companies), real estate companies, private companies developing autonomous driving-related technologies, and consortia of such businesses.
Subsidized expenses
Under the "Introduction of Autonomous Vehicles" program, subsidies of up to 100 million yen are available for expenses related to the introduction of autonomous vehicles, including vehicle purchase costs, parts costs, and modifications (50 million yen per vehicle, with a maximum of two vehicles).
Under the "Development and Renovation of Logistics Bases for Autonomous Vehicles" program, subsidies of up to 100 million yen are available for expenses related to the development and renovation of logistics bases, such as the construction and paving of parking spaces and truck berths (50 million yen per base, with a maximum of two bases).
Under the "Construction and Modification of Logistics Systems Compatible with Autonomous Vehicles" program, subsidies of up to 15 million yen will be provided for costs related to the construction and modification of operational systems that support one-to-many operations, mixed traffic, and integration with automated cargo handling equipment, etc.
The implementing organization is PwC Consulting, and the grant decision is expected to be made around the end of June.
