On your next visit to Japan, you might wonder why your taxi moves while the driver is mostly hands-off the wheel. In November 2024, Japan-based tech startup Tier IV will start the country’s first Level 4 self-driving taxi service.
Its vehicles look like sleek grey minivans that will run on demand between Tokyo Teleport Station, Kokusai Tenjijo Station, and the Miraikan Museum.
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These taxis will have a person in the driver’s seat, but they will only supervise the vehicle’s autonomous driving. They will ensure safe operation and demonstrate that operating these electric vehicles requires no specialized driving skills.
How will the self-driving EV taxi service work?
On August 20, 2024, Tier IV announced the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) chose it to provide autonomous robotaxis and trucks.
The project received the maximum grant amount of $4.5 million or ¥700 million in fiscal year 2024. Moreover, Tier IV is working with other companies to make it possible:
- Toray Carbon Magic is developing its new EV robotaxis.
- AMANE verifies the project’s robotaxi hub.
- Nihon Kotsu is in charge of robotaxi proof-of-concept (PoC) tests.
Initial designs reveal that the self-driving EV taxi will look like a minivan with sensors to provide Level 4 self-driving capabilities.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says Level 4 vehicles can handle most normal driving conditions. They will implement safety measures like pulling over and stopping if they encounter situations they can’t handle, such as extreme weather.
As mentioned, the person in the driver’s seat will take over in case of such situations. Moreover, Tier IV will implement a reservation and dispatch system for the self-driving EV taxi service.
They will run on demand between Tokyo Teleport Station, Kokusai Tenjijo Station, and the Miraikan (Emerging Science and Innovation Museum).
“We aim to package everything from the vehicle to the system so that we can start commercial operation of autonomous taxis within a few months of starting the project,” says Shinpei Kato, the founder, president, CEO, and chief technology officer of Tier IV.
The Japanese government aims to have Level 4 autonomous transportation services in over 100 municipalities by 2027. Kato believes Tier IV can realize this goal.