Waymo will start testing its driverless cars in Tokyo next year

Waymo will deploy its driverless cars in Japan and test its technology in another country for the first time. According CNBCThe 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 experimental phase of the vehicles, which will last several quarters, human drivers from the Japanese taxi company Nihon Kotsu will drive Waymo cars so that their technology can map the city. In particular, they are driving Waymo’s Jaguar I-PACEs through the streets of Shinjuku, Shibuya and other key areas of Tokyo.

The data collected in those tests will be used to train the company’s autonomous driving system. Waymo will also recreate Tokyo driving conditions on a closed circuit in the US, where it will put more of its robotaxis to the test, and use the data collected in that effort for training. The company has not yet announced when it will open rides to the public, but it has already partnered with Japanese taxi app “GO,” which will presumably offer driverless rides to users in the future. As CNBC As he points out, Japan is interested in introducing driverless travel as a transportation option despite its efficient train system due to its aging population. Last year, changed its laws to enable level 4 autonomous driving on its roads.

In the United States, Waymo operates its driverless vehicles in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. However, it announced several plans to introduce its vehicles to more locations in recent months and raised $5.6 billion to fund its expansion to Austin and Atlanta next year. Waymo will also deploy its Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Miami in early 2025 and offer rides to the public in the city sometime in 2026.

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