Curious how this goes. I rode one of these in Scottsdale/Tempe a couple weeks ago and those ones are required to take side streets. But in Tokyo side streets are largely pedestrian traffic. I can...
Curious how this goes. I rode one of these in Scottsdale/Tempe a couple weeks ago and those ones are required to take side streets. But in Tokyo side streets are largely pedestrian traffic. I can see some awkward situations where a Waymo I-PACE (which is quite large for a vehicle in Tokyo) is rolling along slower than pedestrian traffic through some Harajuku alley.
It’s not all that different from actual taxis in Tokyo. They have to ask if you want to go on highways, since you have to pay the tolls. But sometimes they don’t even ask and just only stick to...
It’s not all that different from actual taxis in Tokyo. They have to ask if you want to go on highways, since you have to pay the tolls. But sometimes they don’t even ask and just only stick to local roads anyway.
Sure but they have a driver who can see that the crowd is separating to let them through. The Waymo will have to confidently navigate people very close to it.
Sure but they have a driver who can see that the crowd is separating to let them through. The Waymo will have to confidently navigate people very close to it.
Alphabet-owned Waymo announced Monday that it will start testing its autonomous vehicles in Tokyo in early 2025, the company’s first step toward international expansion.
Waymo hasn’t committed to start commercial service in Tokyo yet, but the robotaxi developer will partner with Japan’s largest taxi operator, Nihon Kotsu, and taxi app GO to start testing its Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Tokyo’s streets.
To start, Nihon Kotsu drivers will manually operate the Waymo vehicles to map key areas of the Japanese capital, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa, and Kōtō.
Data from the manned test drives will help train the company’s AI systems. Waymo will also test its robotaxis on a closed course in the U.S. built to mimic driving conditions in Japan.
Curious how this goes. I rode one of these in Scottsdale/Tempe a couple weeks ago and those ones are required to take side streets. But in Tokyo side streets are largely pedestrian traffic. I can see some awkward situations where a Waymo I-PACE (which is quite large for a vehicle in Tokyo) is rolling along slower than pedestrian traffic through some Harajuku alley.
It’s not all that different from actual taxis in Tokyo. They have to ask if you want to go on highways, since you have to pay the tolls. But sometimes they don’t even ask and just only stick to local roads anyway.
Sure but they have a driver who can see that the crowd is separating to let them through. The Waymo will have to confidently navigate people very close to it.
Right. From my experience Waymo does fine with that, I’ve taken it down some very crowded and narrow streets in SF chinatown.
Good to know, the roads I went down were quite empty and simple to navigate.