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Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

waymo.com

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Re: Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

#31

Post by ChumpGPT »

pests wrote: post #14
opdahl wrote: post #11

Going to be very interesting to see how the Japanese people react to this. The service the taxi drivers provide when you take the taxi in Japan is on another level, such as waiting for you with the open door and closing the door for you as you enter. A driverless car will never be able to copy that. Japan also has very good public transportation reducing the need for a car for day to day travel so cost might be less…

> waiting for you with the open door and closing the door for you as you enter I know you meant more than this, but I'm sure automating opening and closing the doors will be a lesser challenge then developing autonomous self driving?

Taxis in Tokyo already have automated doors. The Toyota Crown's rear doors can open and close without the Cab driver getting out.

Re: Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

#32

Post by nixpulvis »

GoatOfAplomb wrote: post #21
tkgally wrote: post #8

This will be interesting. As an aging nondriver living in Yokohama, I’ve been both hoping that self-driving cars become available here before I develop mobility issues and wondering how feasible they will be. Since I don’t drive, I don’t have a sense of what the roads here are like from the vehicle’s perspective. But many of the streets, including in the neighborhood where I live [1], are narrow, have no sidewalks, a…

Waymo is doing alright in San Francisco as well. That's not directly comparable to Tokyo, either, but I expect it's a much less distant of a comparison than Phoenix.

I saw a video of a bunch of Waymos backed up on each other being too hesitant to make a turn. Kinda reinforced a fear I have of these things. Not to mention I would hate to try and wave one of these things to turn before me... or wink my headlights.

IDK, like I get the appeal for driverless cars, I just still don't like them.

Re: Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

#33

Post by bluepizza »

pests wrote: post #14
opdahl wrote: post #11

Going to be very interesting to see how the Japanese people react to this. The service the taxi drivers provide when you take the taxi in Japan is on another level, such as waiting for you with the open door and closing the door for you as you enter. A driverless car will never be able to copy that. Japan also has very good public transportation reducing the need for a car for day to day travel so cost might be less…

> waiting for you with the open door and closing the door for you as you enter I know you meant more than this, but I'm sure automating opening and closing the doors will be a lesser challenge then developing autonomous self driving?

Taxi doors already automatically open and close in major Japanese metro areas.

There is a certain romance around good service, but the good service is not the reason why people use taxis here.

One could make a similar argument that self service restaurants serving revolving sushi, or tablet ordered sushi miss the good service of a great restaurant. Yet these places are wildly popular, because one goes there to eat.

Re: Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

#34

Post by shidoYagi »

I wonder how much this service costs. If it is as expensive as taxi services in Tokyo, it could fail. While I don’t think it’s possible for the cost to match that of a train, if this service materializes successfully, it could become the most disruptive innovation in Japan.

How about California or Phoenix?

Re: Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

#35

Post by xbmcuser »

leonheld wrote: post #20

Individual autonomous cars will solve all transportation issues. What's that? Trains? Trams? Efficient urban fabric? Things that Tokyo, gasp, already has? Bull. /s.

In my opinion Individual autonomous vehicles will solve most transportation issues not Individual autonomous cars. Currently to transport 60-70 kg person we are moving 2 mton machines ie cars. And those 2 mton machines are in use for just 30-60 min a day.

Re: Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

#37

Post by bamboozled »

opdahl wrote: post #11

Going to be very interesting to see how the Japanese people react to this. The service the taxi drivers provide when you take the taxi in Japan is on another level, such as waiting for you with the open door and closing the door for you as you enter. A driverless car will never be able to copy that. Japan also has very good public transportation reducing the need for a car for day to day travel so cost might be less…

Look, there is a lot of profit on the table. None of the employment or societal concern matter at all.

Re: Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

#38

Post by KennyBlanken »

GoatOfAplomb wrote: post #21
tkgally wrote: post #8

This will be interesting. As an aging nondriver living in Yokohama, I’ve been both hoping that self-driving cars become available here before I develop mobility issues and wondering how feasible they will be. Since I don’t drive, I don’t have a sense of what the roads here are like from the vehicle’s perspective. But many of the streets, including in the neighborhood where I live [1], are narrow, have no sidewalks, a…

Waymo is doing alright in San Francisco as well. That's not directly comparable to Tokyo, either, but I expect it's a much less distant of a comparison than Phoenix.

[flagged]

Re: Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

#39

Post by klausa »

shidoYagi wrote: post #34

I wonder how much this service costs. If it is as expensive as taxi services in Tokyo, it could fail. While I don’t think it’s possible for the cost to match that of a train, if this service materializes successfully, it could become the most disruptive innovation in Japan. How about California or Phoenix?

I think the killer feature for this will be if it's readily available at night, for reasonable prices.

I love living here, but the "do we go home or stay out all night?" decision at ~23:30 when out sucks.

If I could get across town for ~3000 JPY at 2AM without having to wait 50 minutes for a cab around Shinjuku, I'd be ecstatic.

Re: Waymo will bring autonomous vehicles to Tokyo

#40

Post by _ea1k »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #36

[flagged]

> Let that sink in: people were so angry at their property, health, and safety put at risk as unconsenting "beta testers" that they set fire to one of the cars.

Maybe the sort of person that would take that action isn't a credible actor.

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