Seven-Eleven Japan to start self-driving truck tests
Seven-Eleven Japan Co. said Monday that it will begin testing the use of a self-driving truck for long-haul product transportation, marking the first initiative of its kind in Japan's convenience store and supermarket industries.
The company hopes that the experiment can help ensure stable supplies of products amid growing concerns about declining transportation capacity amid serious shortages of truck drivers.
The trial will be conducted in collaboration with T2 Inc., a company that develops autonomous driving systems, and Mitsui & Co. Retail Group Ltd.
The tests are scheduled to take place three times by April next year on some sections of the Tomei Expressway and the Meishin Expressway along a route connecting a logistics centre in Niiza, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, with a distribution base in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan.
During the trial, a T2 self-driving truck will transport Seven-Eleven's private label products, including umbrellas, cup miso soup and tissues.
The self-driving truck will utilise biodiesel, produced from used cooking oil collected from local households and schools, as part of efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
