Roadmap to the future

By Colin Windell

Preparing a holistic pathway to the future for trucking and logistics is the core vision behind the ‘Fujin & Raijin plan launched recently by UD Trucks in Japan.

The innovation roadmap aims to deliver a variety of solutions for smart logistics, including fully-electric and autonomous trucks leading up to 2030 and focuses on the key areas of automation and electromobility to address the challenges of a rapidly-changing world.

By 2030, demand for parcel delivery is expected to grow 50% compared to 2014. To meet this demand, the logistics industry faces significant challenges, including a responsibility to reduce CO2 emissions, the growing scale of online commerce and driver shortages. UD Trucks believes transformative innovations in automation and electromobility are key to overcoming these challenges and providing customers with the trucks that fit their needs.

“When delivering on our promise to provide the trucks and services the world needs today, we have always done things a bit differently from others in our industry. As we now look forward, we are convinced that the world needs smart logistics,” says UD Trucks Chairman Joachim Rosenberg.

UD Trucks takes inspiration for their innovation roadmap from the gods of wind and thunder, as depicted in the famous gold-embossed Japanese folding screen, ‘Fujin and Raijin’. UD Trucks’ progress in automation is inspired by Fujin, the god of wind, who symbolises the power of movement, while its work in electromobility is inspired by Raijin, the god of thunder, who symbolizes the power of energy.

Automation will reshape the logistics industry, creating real-life benefits for both customers and society in terms of productivity, safety, energy and fuel efficiency. UD Trucks is now focusing on solutions for safe, low-speed automation in confined areas, including in-plant and harbour logistics. It is also exploring on-road Highway Auto Pilot and CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control) platooning technologies in the near term, and more highly-automated on-road vehicles in the long term.

It is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its products. UD Trucks is now developing technologies necessary to create silent, zero-emission vehicles that maximise energy efficiency, payload capacity and mileage. As battery systems continue to evolve, UD Trucks is testing a variety of solutions, including battery EV, parallel HEV and Series HEV.

Connectivity through digitalisation is the enabler of both automation and electromobility. In Japan, UD Trucks has around 45 000 vehicles connected through the UD Information Service, which uses data collected from each vehicle to help improve uptime. By analysing digital data collected from customer driving behaviour, UD Trucks also gains insight on how to design even safer and more dependable trucks.

“Since the launch of the New Quon in 2017, UD Trucks has moved steadily forward on its mission to drive the future of smart logistics. This innovation roadmap represents a major leap forward for both the company, the logistics industry, and our society,” says Douglas Nakano, Senior Vice President of UD Trucks Technology. “We are committed to ensuring our customers around the world feel the full benefits of the solutions and products we are developing, which will ultimately make life better for everyone in our society.”

Over the course of 2018, UD Trucks will conduct demonstrations of autonomous driving and electric drive prototypes, targeting field tests and customer trials ahead of Tokyo Motor Show 2019. It aims to have vehicles in actual daily operation by the year 2020. All activities will be conducted with a view toward full-fledged commercialisation of fully-electric and autonomous trucks by 2030.