On April 14, Waymo will begin testing its robotics technology outside the United States for the first time. As Yomiuri Shimbun The company will deploy 25 electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in Tokyo to develop the initial stages of its testing plan, the company reportedly said. The Waymo is slow and won’t operate them without a driver behind the steering wheel. Drivers of Tokyo-based taxi company Nihon Kotsu Co. will drive cars near Chiyoda, Minato, Sinjuku and four other wards in the Japanese capital.
Camera and radar equipped with I-Pace vehicles will collect data on roads in Tokyo, which is usually narrower than roads in the United States. They will provide the company with information on local infrastructure, road conditions and how local people drive. “For us, understanding the differences in driving environments makes driving here unique,” Waymo senior director Nicole Gavel said at an event held in the city. After all, Waymo will have to adjust its software based on driving conditions and capital rules. Waymo is currently focused on testing, but is “desire to start a business” in Tokyo in the future, Gaiville said.
But that may still have a long way to go: After the initial mapping phase, Waymo still has to perform autonomous driving tests at the driver behind the steering wheel and then without the driver.
