Waymo will deploy its driverless cars in Japan and will test its technology in another country for the first time. According to CNBC, the company will begin testing its Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Tokyo in early 2025 and expects to remain in the country for an “extended period.” During the vehicles’ experimental phase, which will last for several quarters, human drivers from the Japanese taxi company Nihon Kotsu will operate Waymo’s cars so that its technology can map the city. Particularly, they’re driving Waymo’s Jaguar I-PACEs through the streets of Shinjuku, Shibuya and Tokyo’s other key areas.
The data gathered from those tests will then be used to train the company’s self-driving system. Waymo will also be recreating Tokyo’s driving conditions in a closed course in the US, where it will put more of its robotaxis to the test, and will be using data collected from that effort for training. The company has yet to announce when it will open rides to the public, but it has already formed a partnership with Japan’s “GO” taxi app, which will presumably offer driverless rides to users in the future. As CNBC notes, Japan is keen to introduce driverless rides as a transportation option despite its efficient train system due to its aging population. Last year, it amended its laws to allow level 4 autonomous driving on its roads.
In the US, Waymo operates its driverless cars in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It announced several plans to introduce its vehicles to more locations over the past months, however, and raised $5.6 billion to fund its expansion to Austin and Atlanta next year. Waymo will also be deploying its Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Miami in early 2025 and will offer rides to the public in the city sometime in 2026.
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