Waymo will distribute its self-driving cars in Japan and will test its technology for the first time in another country. In accordance with 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.” In the test phase of the vehicles, which will occupy several parts, human drivers of the Japanese taxi company Nihon Kotsu will use Waymo’s vehicles so that its technology can navigate the city. In particular, they drive Waymo’s Jaguar I-PACE on the streets of Shinjuku, Shibuya and other key areas of Tokyo.
Data collected from those tests will then be used to train the company’s self-driving system. Waymo will also recreate Tokyo’s driving conditions on a closed course in the US, where it will test its robotaxis, and will use the data collected from that effort for training. The company has yet to announce when it will open ride-hailing to the public, but it has already established a partnership with Japanese taxi app “GO”, which will likely offer driverless rides to users in the future. As CNBC notes, Japan is keen to introduce driverless rides as a mode of transport despite its aging rail system. Last year, it amended its rules to allow level 4 driving on its roads.
In the US, Waymo operates its self-driving cars in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It has announced several plans to roll out its cars to more locations in recent months, however, and has raised $5.6 billion to fund its expansion into Austin and Atlanta next year. Waymo will also deploy its Jaguar I-PACE vehicles to Miami in early 2025 and will offer rides to the public in the city sometime in 2026.
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