In the Autonomous Driving Era, Japan is Expected to Commercialize Trucks Before Taxis

While autonomous taxi services have already begun in major cities around the world, Japan has yet to see the full-scale commercialization of autonomous taxis. However, the Japanese government and companies are accelerating the development of various mobility solutions utilizing autonomous driving technology, with a particular focus on the practical application of autonomous trucks.

At the 'Japan Mobility Show 2023' held in Tokyo in October 2023, the autonomous taxi 'Cruise Origin,' jointly developed by Honda, GM, and Cruise, attracted attention. This vehicle is a fully driverless taxi corresponding to Level 4 autonomous driving and is scheduled to begin commercial service in Tokyo in early 2026 following demonstration experiments starting in 2024.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Waymo, a Google subsidiary, has been commercializing autonomous taxis in Phoenix since 2018, and has since expanded its services to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. Baidu (百度) in China also commercialized autonomous taxis in Chongqing and Wuhan in August 2022. However, concerns about these autonomous taxi services are also growing.

In October 2023, a Cruise autonomous taxi was involved in an accident with a pedestrian in San Francisco. As a result, the California authorities temporarily suspended Cruise's operations and driverless autonomous driving, and Cruise also halted the operation of driverless vehicles nationwide. Nevertheless, the prevailing view is that rather than denying autonomous driving technology itself, safety should be enhanced through continuous data accumulation and software refinement.

Efforts to put autonomous driving technology into practical use are also accelerating in Japan. A small-scale autonomous mobility service has begun in Eiheiji-cho, Fukui Prefecture, and the government is promoting the 'Research and Development and Social Implementation Project for Advanced Mobility Services such as Level 4 Autonomous Driving.' Particular emphasis is placed on the practical application of autonomous trucks on highways, with plans to realize Level 4 autonomous trucks by 2026 and introduce them widely in the 2030s.

The introduction of autonomous trucks, which can potentially solve the problem of a shortage of truck drivers, is expected to precede that of taxis. However, there are still numerous challenges that need to be addressed, including the establishment of operation management systems, infrastructure improvements, and determining liability in the event of accidents. Japanese companies are expected to accelerate the commercialization of autonomous driving technology to keep pace with global technological advancements.