The new service will use Cruise Origin vehicles, with no manual controls.
Driverless taxi services have been under test in America and China for some time now, with perhaps the most famous being the Cruise autonomous vehicle ride hailing system on widespread test in San Francisco right now. In every case, the systems are based on conventional passenger cars, but truly autonomous ride hailing will use dedicated vehicles built as a passenger cabin without conventional controls like a steering wheel. The Cruise Origin is such a vehicle and in a recent press release from Honda/GM and Cruise, there is now a firm start date for truly autonomous operations. Tokyo will be the city to see a fleet of cruise Origins on public roads, starting in 2026. The Tokyo urban fleet is targeted at 500 vehicles, with subsequent expansion to areas outside of the city centre.
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Episode Transcript:
Driverless taxi services have been under test in America and China for some time now, with perhaps the most famous being the Cruise autonomous vehicle ride hailing system in widespread test in San Francisco right now.
There are several competitors offering something similar, but in every case, the systems are based on conventional passenger cars. This is both for convenience and for the ability to install a safety driver behind the wheel as necessary. Truly autonomous ride hailing will use dedicated vehicles built as a passenger cabin without conventional controls like a steering wheel.
When General Motors launched Cruise Automation, the long-term goal was to create autonomous driving software and specialized vehicles to take full advantage of it, and they did with a pod-like vehicle called the Cruise Origin. Low-volume production was reported months ago, but as of yet the vehicles have not been deployed on public streets.
But in a recent press release from Honda/GM and Cruise, there is now a firm start date. Tokyo will be the city to see a fleet of cruise Origins on public roads, starting in 2026. The Tokyo urban fleet is targeted at 500 vehicles, with subsequent expansion to areas outside of the city centre. Although self-driving vehicles are generally marketed as autonomous taxis, Cruise notes that their Origin vehicle could be operated as an autonomous private car, on a subscription basis. Why Japan? I can think of several good reasons.
First and foremost, there is a tremendous labour shortage in Japan which has limited the available pool of professional taxi and bus drivers, who are essential for mobility in a crowded city like Tokyo. Japanese cities are also excellent test cases for ride hailing services for other reasons. They are densely crowded, yet are relatively orderly, allowing self-driving vehicles a reasonable environment in which to negotiate, free of throngs of jaywalking pedestrians, stray animals and other impediments that make urban driving in many of the world’s cities a chaotic experience.
Japan is also far less litigious than the United States, and is more regulated, an ideal environment in which to roll out an experimental service with a well modelled but ultimately unknown risk environment.
In Japan of course, Honda has the invaluable home field advantage, with local knowledge and engineering talent. It’s impressive enough to imagine a taxi with no driver behind the steering wheel, but the Cruise Origin promises to completely change the nature of the automobile. It’s more like a stagecoach then a car, and it will test consumers’ level of trust in autonomous vehicle technology.
With no steering wheel or brake pedal, we are quickly going to find out whether Japan will adopt this technology quickly, and just as importantly, which demographics of users will do so first. It’s going to be very interesting to watch.
