Toyota Australia, together with Toyota Material Handling Australia and Toyota Fleet Management is to introduce a fleet of autonomous Autopilot vehicles in to its Altona warehouse from its operation start in 2020.

Manufactured in Sweden by Toyota Material Handling Europe, the fleet will consist of six Autopilot Tow Trucks (TAE500) and one Autopilot Reach Truck (RAE160).
Toyota says they will apply Autopilot driverless technology to achieve mobility in conveyance, towing, lifting, and be able to autonomously place product throughout the warehouse and pick orders for customers.

All models in the range will also have the ability to be used in manual mode as conventional warehouse vehicles.
The fleet will have integrated navigation and leading safety systems. The safety systems include scanners and obstacle detection devices designed to stop the vehicle and minimise the risk of a collision.

Fleet Management, Emergency-Stop buttons, warning sounds, and lights will be standard across the range together with a blue LED warning light projected in front of the vehicle to assist in noisy environments or when Autopilot is approaching around a corner.

Toyota says that Autopilot will also deliver energy efficiencies via Lithium-Ion battery technology, automatic charging, high vehicle utilisation, and low maintenance costs.

Source: Motor Trader E-Magazine (June 2019 Edition)

7 Jun 2019