Panasonic and T2 boost autonomous truck safety via road lighting

Panasonic Electric Works and T2 have announced the results of a joint demonstration aimed at improving the safety of autonomous driving trucks through coordination with road lighting infrastructure. Conducted at night at the Japan Automobile Research Institute's Shirosato Test Center in Ibaraki Prefecture, the test utilized low-position lighting equipment currently being implemented on highways.

The demonstration revealed that by creating a road surface environment that is brighter and has fewer light irregularities, the recognition distance for white lines via a truck's onboard camera increased by up to 2.3 times compared to using headlights alone.

Based on these findings, Panasonic Electric Works aims to develop new lighting equipment with integrated sensors for road-vehicle coordination systems, targeting implementation on highways by the 2030s. T2 plans to expand its autonomous operations, aiming for commercial Level 2 truck services in 2025 and Level 4 trunk line transport from fiscal year 2027 onwards, with a goal of operating 2,000 Level 4 trucks in the 2030s.