This is an AI translated post.
Self-driving era: Japan is expected to commercialize trucks before taxis
- Writing language: Korean
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Base country: Japan
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Summarized by durumis AI
- Japan is still lagging behind in the commercialization of self-driving taxis, but it is accelerating the development of various mobility vehicles using self-driving technology, and is particularly focused on the practical application of self-driving trucks.
- Starting in 2024, it plans to begin field tests of the self-driving taxi 'Cruise Origin' in Tokyo and launch commercial services in early 2026, and by 2026, it plans to realize Level 4 self-driving trucks and distribute them in the 2030s.
- However, there are many challenges that need to be addressed in the commercialization of self-driving technology, such as the establishment of operation management systems, infrastructure improvement, and assigning liability for accidents, so Japan will need to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving technology to keep pace with global technological development.
While self-driving taxi services have already begun in major cities around the world, Japan has yet to see the full-scale commercialization of self-driving taxis. However, the Japanese government and companies are accelerating the development of various transportation methods using autonomous driving technology, focusing especially on the practical implementation of self-driving trucks.
In October 2023, at the 'Japan Mobility Show 2023' exhibition held in Tokyo, the self-driving taxi 'Cruise Origin' jointly developed by Honda, GM, and Cruise drew attention. This vehicle is a fully autonomous taxi corresponding to autonomous driving level 4, and plans are to start commercial service in Tokyo in early 2026 after conducting demonstration experiments from 2024.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Waymo, a subsidiary of Google, commercialized self-driving taxis in Phoenix in 2018, and has since provided services in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and other cities. Baidu (百度) in China also commercialized self-driving taxis in Chongqing and Wuhan in August 2022. However, concerns about these self-driving taxi services are also growing.
In October 2023, a Cruise self-driving taxi was involved in an accident with a pedestrian in San Francisco. As a result, California authorities suspended Cruise's business and driverless autonomous driving, and Cruise also suspended driverless vehicle operations nationwide. However, rather than denying autonomous driving technology itself, the prevailing opinion is that safety should be enhanced through continuous data accumulation and software sophistication.
In Japan as well, efforts to put autonomous driving technology into practical use are accelerating. A small-scale self-driving mobility service has started in Eiheiji Town, Fukui Prefecture, and the government is promoting the 'Research and Development and Social Implementation Project for Advanced Mobility Services, including Level 4 Autonomous Driving'. The focus is on practical implementation of self-driving trucks on highways, with plans to realize Level 4 self-driving trucks in 2026 and to distribute them in the 2030s.
The introduction of self-driving trucks, which can solve the problem of driver shortages, is expected to take place before taxis. However, there are numerous challenges that need to be addressed, including the establishment of operation management systems, infrastructure maintenance, and liability for accidents. It appears that Japanese companies will need to accelerate the commercialization of autonomous driving technology in line with the pace of global technological advancement.
