Waymo will send autonomous vehicles to Japan to conduct its first international tests.
Waymo begins its operations in Japan.
Waymo has decided to bring its autonomous vehicles to Tokyo, marking the first time that the Alphabet company is implementing its cars on public roads outside its home country. This move is framed as a “road trip” to gather data on the specifics of driving in Japan, where driving is on the left side and navigating a dense urban environment is necessary.
The fleet will consist of approximately 25 vehicles, which are expected to arrive in the Japanese capital in early 2025. During this phase, the vehicles will be manually operated to collect geolocation data and will be managed by Nihon Kotsu, a local taxi operator. While there is speculation about the possibility of establishing a robotaxi service in Tokyo in the future, Waymo has made it clear that it is not yet in a position to confirm any specific plans. Sandy Karp, the company's spokesperson, noted that they are in a learning and adaptation stage to the existing transportation infrastructure, as well as seeking to collaborate with local authorities and communities.
The strategic partnership with GO, a well-known taxi app in Japan, could indicate that Waymo plans to offer its autonomous vehicles through a local mobility provider. The company is already conducting a similar practice in the United States, where it provides its vehicles on the Uber platform in cities like Austin and Atlanta.
Waymo's robotaxi business expansion in the United States is progressing, albeit at a slow pace. Currently, it operates nearly 700 vehicles in several cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and Phoenix. It also has plans to launch a robotaxi service in Atlanta exclusively in partnership with Uber and to roll it out in Miami by 2026. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, recently revealed that Waymo is conducting approximately 175,000 paid rides per week, equating to around a million miles.
In Tokyo, Waymo's vehicles will be operated by trained autonomy specialists working for Nihon Kotsu. Once the company deems it ready, it will move towards fully autonomous driving without intervention, while keeping a safety driver at the wheel. Karp did not confirm whether the intention is to advance towards fully autonomous operations. The fleet will be geographically restricted to certain neighborhoods in Tokyo, such as Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa, and Kōtō.
With the arrival of its vehicles in a foreign country, Alphabet aims to demonstrate its confidence in autonomous technology, especially in a context where other companies are scaling back their investments in robotaxi projects. Recently, General Motors announced the end of funding for Cruise, instead focusing on driver assistance technology and personally owned autonomous vehicles. Although several companies have tested autonomous vehicles in Japan, the country has lagged behind China and the United States, partly because its strong automotive industry prefers to conduct these tests abroad, as is the case with Toyota and Nissan, which are working on deploying robotaxis in collaboration with local operators in China.
