Waymo plans to bring self-driving cars to Japan and test the technology in other countries for the first time. According to CNBCThe company plans to begin testing the Jaguar I-PACE car in Tokyo in early 2025, and plans to stay in Japan for an “extended period”. The vehicle’s experimental phase, which will last several quarters, will allow human drivers from Japanese taxi company Nippon Kotsu to operate Waymo vehicles and use its technology to map cities. Specifically, they drive Waymo’s Jaguar I-PACE through the streets of Shinjuku, Shibuya, and other major areas of Tokyo.
Data collected from these tests will be used to train the company’s self-driving systems. Waymo also plans to replicate Tokyo driving conditions on closed courses in the United States to further test its robotaxis and use data collected from that effort for training. The company has not yet announced when it will begin offering rides to the public, but it has already partnered with Japan’s GO taxi app and will likely offer driverless rides to users in the future. as CNBC It points out that Japan is keen to introduce self-driving cars as a transportation option, despite an aging population and a more efficient rail system. Last year, it was revised the law Enabling level 4 autonomous driving on roads.
In the United States, Waymo operates self-driving cars in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. But the company has announced several plans in the past few months to bring its vehicles to more locations, and raised $5.6 billion to fund expansion into Austin and Atlanta next year. Waymo also plans to bring Jaguar I-PACE vehicles to Miami in early 2025 and offer rides to the public in the city in 2026.
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