This Japanese Truck Maker Wants to Launch Autonomous Models

Oct 15, 2024

Isuzu teams up with US-based Applied Intuition to develop SAE Level 4 commercial trucks.

Robotaxis may get most of the attention these days when it comes to autonomous driving, but one other industry is now rapidly working to develop SAE Level 4 tech, with fleets of trucks large and small eyeing the benefits of self-driving capability.

Silicon Valley-based Applied Intuition, an autonomous tech developer, is now teaming up with Isuzu Motors Ltd. to create and launch autonomous driving solutions using the truck maker's lineup of commercial models.

And the race toward SAE Level 4 trucking in Japan has recently taken on a new urgency.

"Truck driver overwork is a major public health issue in Japan—nearly 84% of drivers face related health problems," Applied Intuition points out. "Recent studies showed truck drivers accounted for 34.3% of overwork-related deaths."

In addition to a 36% decline in the number of truck drivers expected to be seen by the year 2030, the Japanese government has also recently capped the annual work hours at 3,300 hours.

Together, these trends have created an urgent dilemma for an industry already facing significant headwinds in Japan.

The truck maker aims to start verification tests in 2026, with an aim to launch commercial versions of autonomous trucks in fiscal year 2028 in North America and Japan.

"Working with Applied Intuition will greatly advance autonomous driving technology development and provide a strong foundation for Isuzu’s plan to launch an autonomous trucking business," said Shinsuke Minami, representative director, president and COO of Isuzu Motors.

Isuzu has also recently teamed up with another US-based autonomous tech developer Gatik revealing plans earlier this summer to work on a new chassis just for SAE Level 4 trucks, with mass production aimed for 2027.

That's just around the corner, and it's a reflection of how acute the issue of driver shortages is becoming in Japan.

Isuzu and other aspiring Level 4 truck manufacturers will also need local and national governments to permit fleets of driverless trucks to take to the roads, and be able to use the country's fueling and maintenance infrastructure. So it's not just a matter of outfitting an existing truck model with sensors and software—fleets will have to adapt to operating autonomous trucks in large numbers.

Autonomous truck developers have recently found a receptive regulatory environment in Texas, which has quickly become the center of Level 4 truck testing in the US. Isuzu's models, while still meant for middle mile routes, envision shorter ranges and smaller payloads than semitrucks with trailers, with a likely focus on daily routes between warehouses.

But scaling up fleets of hundreds of autonomous trucks and allowing them to interact with traffic, as opposed to running a handful of prototypes, and operating these fleets profitably could end up being a larger hurdle than the tech itself. And this is an issue that is now becoming very familiar to robotaxi developers.

Will we see driverless, Level 4 trucks in North America in significant numbers by 2030, or will this tech take longer to become commonplace? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.

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