According to foreign media reports, on October 16, Waymo, an autopilot subsidiary of Alphabet, announced that it would start testing its self-driving cars in Tokyo, Japan, in early 2023. Entering the Japanese market is the first step for Waymo to expand internationally, and it also marks the first time for Waymo to enter the right-hand drive market.
Waymo has not committed to commercial services in Tokyo, but Waymo will cooperate with Nihon Kotsu, Japan’s largest taxi operator, and taxi application software GO to start testing Jaguar I-PACE self-driving cars on the streets of Tokyo.
At the beginning, drivers of Nihon Kotsu will manually operate Waymo vehicles and draw maps for key areas in Tokyo, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō ū, Shinagawa and Kōtō ō. These data from the driver’s manual driving test will help train Waymo’s artificial intelligence system. Waymo will also test its self-driving taxis on closed roads in the United States by simulating driving conditions in Japan. Waymo said that this is the first phase of the partnership and will last for several quarters.
Waymo said in a statement: “Waymo’s self-driving taxi test in Tokyo will give Waymo the opportunity to cooperate with local Japanese partners, government officials and community groups to learn how to serve Tokyo residents and become a useful part of Japan’s urban transportation ecosystem.”
Waymo and Nihon Kotsu said that Nihon Kotsu will supervise the management and service of Waymo self-driving cars in Japan.
Waymo announced a series of expansion plans in the United States in 2023. Earlier this month, the company announced a new self-driving taxi test in Miami, USA. In November this year, Waymo launched a self-driving taxi service in Los Angeles, USA. In September this year, the company announced plans to cooperate with Uber to expand its business to Austin and Atlanta.
Research by the World Economic Forum shows that the Japanese government regards driverless technology as a potential blessing in an aging population. Tokyo has designated some areas as “test areas” for self-driving cars, hoping to speed up the arrival of a safe driverless transportation system.
Currently, several developers are developing self-driving cars in Japan, including local Japanese startup Tier IV and robotics company ZMP. Currently, ZMP is testing self-driving delivery vehicles and buses in Tokyo. In addition, Monet Technologies, which focuses on providing self-driving travel service solutions, announced earlier this year that it would test the self-driving taxi service plan in the Odaiba area of Tokyo.