At the Tokyo Motor Show, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), under the umbrella of Daimler Trucks Asia (DTA), unveiled the “Vision F-CELL”, a concept fuel-cell-powered light-duty truck, and the model year 2019 Super Great heavy-duty truck, Japan’s first series-produced commercial vehicle equipped with SAE(Society of Automotive Engineers) Level 2 automated driving technology.

The Vision F-Cell is Fuso’s concept of an electric truck that uses the power of a Fuel Cell as one option to extend the range of an electric vehicle. Fuso is a leader in electric trucks and was the first brand to launch an all-electric truck in small series production in 2017, the eCanter. Since then, more than 140 eCanters have been delivered to customers in Japan, Europe and the United States.

The Vision F-Cell is a fully drivable concept model. The 7.5-tonner has a drive with a maximum output of 135 kW. The range is up to 300 kilometers. The Vision F-Cell electric powertrain architecture is basically comparable to that of a battery-powered truck—apart from significantly reduced battery power and the addition of hydrogen tanks.

The truck can be configured with a high voltage battery ranging from 13.8 – 40 kWh, plus 3 to 4 tanks holding hydrogen at 70 Mpa for 5-10 kg of capacity. Power is provided by the 75 kW fuel cell stack and the 135 kW battery.

New “Super Great” heavy-duty truck with Level 2 automated driving functions. The new Super Great is Japan’s first HDT to be fitted with Level 2 automated driving support, equivalent to Level 2 automated driving technology defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The 2019 models will be available through MFTBC sales companies and regional sales units across Japan starting from October 2019.

The new Super Great comes with the Level 2 automated driving support system “Active Drive Assist”, along with the updated “Active Brake Assist 5 (ABA5)” collision mitigation system, which together can significantly reduce burdens on drivers.

Active Drive Assist analyzes road and lane conditions based on information obtained through a combination of a high-precision radar and a white line recognition camera installed at the front of the vehicle. This Level 2 equivalent automated driving support system can control the accelerator, brake and steering wheel simultaneously.

The system achieves this level of support through the combination of the Proximity Control Assist adaptive cruise control system at all speeds, and a newly installed Lane Keeping. Active Drive Assist thus helps reduce driver fatigue considerably and supports safe driving. Moreover, the Lane Departure Protection system, a more advanced version of the Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), helps bring the vehicle within the lane through steering inputs while driving at 60km/h or above.

The 2019 Super Great also features the new Active Brake Assist 5 (ABA5) collision mitigation system featuring higher accuracy than previous iterations, providing an enhanced safety support function. ABA5 achieves this higher accuracy by combining a conventional radar and a windshield-mounted camera, allowing the vehicle to avoid a collision if the preceding vehicle is stopped. In addition, pedestrian detection accuracy is improved and enables the vehicle to avoid a pedestrian collision at higher vehicle speeds than in previous models.

On top of these, the 2019 model features new advanced driving safety support systems, enhancing safety further. The Intelligent Headlight Control (IHC) system automatically switches the headlight to high beam in the dark and to low beam when it is bright through a windshield-mounted camera. This feature negates the need for the driver to adjust high and low beam settings on their own.

The 2019 Super Great also comes with the Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) system. Specifically designed for traffic signs in Japan, a camera recognizes oncoming traffic signs using image recognition technology and displays the relevant traffic sign on the instrument display.

The launch of the model year 2019 Super Great is part of Daimler Truck’s global push toward Level 4 automation of trucks. The Super Great follows the Mercedes-Benz Actros and the Freightliner Cascadia as the third Daimler Trucks HDT to feature Level 2 automated driving support functions.

Earlier this year, Daimler Trucks has committed to invest €500 million in development of Level 4 automated driving technology. Since then, Daimler Trucks has inaugurated the Autonomous Technology Group, a global organization that coordinates research and development of autonomous driving technology for trucks between Europe, the US and Japan, and has acquired a large stake in TORC Robotics, a leading US-based startup focusing on autonomous trucking. This strong global push will allow Mitsubishi Fuso to launch a Level 4-enabled truck for public road use in Japan as soon as regulations allow.