Japan's UD Trucks wants to send autonomous trucks on the road within two years. By doing so, Volvo's subsidiary hopes to address the shortage of 240,000 truck drivers in Japan.
UD Trucks aims to have autonomous vehicles in daily operations by 2020. By 2030, it is aiming for full commercialisation of electric and autonomous trucks, news agency Bloomberg reports.
According to Douglas Nakano, senior vice president of UD Trucks, autonomous trucks are badly needed in Japan. "There are many reasons why autonomous driving is important for Japan, but I would say it is more important here than in other countries because of the ageing society." The Boston Consulting Group previously predicted that Japan will face a shortage of 240,000 truck drivers by 2027.
