Honda Autonomous Work Vehicle Prototype Debuts With 2,000-Pound Payload

Honda has showcased its latest Autonomous Work Vehicle prototype at the 2023 CONEXPO-CON/AGG, aimed at businesses looking to improve worksite efficiencies and safety. The vehicle offers a solution for the challenges of moving heavy loads from one place to another, and can be navigated to a location with all necessary sensors without additional human input.

The third-generation model, with enhanced obstacle detection and navigation, has a payload capacity of 2,000 pounds, compared to 880 pounds for the previous model. The cargo area can accommodate two pallets and the bed is lower for easier loading. It has a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour (16 kilometers per hour) and runs on an 18.6-kilowatt-hour battery, providing 10 hours of operation between charges.

Jason VanBuren, systems engineering manager at American Honda Motor Co., Inc., said: "We believe the Honda AWV can be a valuable solution to supporting construction teams while also enhancing worksite efficiencies and safety. Leveraging Honda's decades of experience developing reliable, safe, and clean mobility technology, we aim to address issues such as labor shortages and improved environmental performance."

In 2021, Honda demonstrated the second-generation Autonomous Work Vehicle prototype by conducting a month-long field test at a 1,000-acre solar panel construction site in New Mexico, with several prototypes working together. However, the company has not yet indicated when it will put the Autonomous Work Vehicle into production.

Source: Honda