Toyota Australia together with Toyota Material Handling Australia and Toyota Fleet Management will be introducing 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 itself will consist of six Autopilot Tow Trucks (TAE500) and one Autopilot Reach Truck (RAE160), the flagship model when it comes to warehouse automation.

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 allowing complete flexibility in operations.

Built with the reliability and serviceability of their manual predecessors, the new hybrids will also include integrated navigation and leading safety systems.

The safety systems include scanners and obstacle detection devices which are designed to stop the vehicle and minimize the risk of a collision, ensuring protection for people, equipment, and infrastructure.

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.

In addition to enhanced safety, Autopilot will also deliver energy efficiencies via Lithium-Ion battery technology, automatic charging, high vehicle utilisation, and low maintenance costs.

Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley, said the mobility company has a thorough understanding and appreciation of the importance of automation technology.

“Toyota Australia will continue to develop, progress, and employ these new ways of thinking whenever possible,” Mr Hanley said.

“We are extremely committed to delivering the highest level of reliability, performance, and productivity, and Autopilot ticks every one of these boxes,” he added.