On April 14, Waymo will begin testing its robotaxi technology outside the United States for the first time. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the company will deploy 25 of its Jaguar I-PACE electric cars in Tokyo for the initial phase of its testing program. Waymo is in no hurry and will not operate them without a driver at the wheel for now. Drivers of the Tokyo taxi company Nihon Kotsu Co. will drive the cars in the Chioda, Minato, Shinjuku, and four other districts of the Japanese capital.
Cameras and radars installed on I-PACE cars will collect data on Tokyo’s roads, which are usually narrower than those in the United States. They will provide the company with information about local infrastructure, road conditions, and the driving style of local residents. “It’s important for us to understand the differences in driving conditions that make driving here unique,” said Nicole Havel, Waymo’s senior director, during the event in the city. Ultimately, Waymo will have to adapt its software to suit the driving conditions and the capital’s regulations. Havel said Waymo is currently focused on testing, but “would love to have a business” in Tokyo in the future.
But that’s probably still a long way off: After the initial mapping phase, Waymo will still need to conduct autonomous driving tests with a driver behind the wheel, followed by tests without a driver on board.
