what u.s. city just announced the launch of self-controlled driverless vehicles known as robo-taxis? , Nissan Motor Co. is conducting Japan’s largest presentation yet of self-driving vehicles, as the Japanese company heads to roll out a commercial self-driving taxi service.
what u.s. city just announced the launch of self-controlled driverless vehicles known as robo-taxis?
Although the absence of regulations and the need for more technical improvements mean that such a service will not be launched for a few years, Nissan is testing a self-driving taxi service in Yokohama, near the company’s headquarters. Passengers can book their rides via a smartphone app, which covers nearly 650 routes and 23 pick-up and drop-off locations across the city.
Currently, self-driving taxis operate under the supervision of operators who are ready to take over driving tasks in the event that the vehicle’s various sensors encounter a situation that requires human assistance. The goal is to have these “safety drivers” monitor a fleet of robots remotely. Thus, according to “Nissan”, this method can lead to savings in drivers’ wages, and thus lower prices compared to traditional taxis.
hee what u.s. city just announced the launch of self-controlled driverless vehicles known as robo-taxis?
The automated car service is part of Nissan’s long-term strategy called Ambition 2030, which was announced earlier this week. Also included are plans to equip more than 2.5 million cars with the semi-autonomous driving system, called ProPilot, and spend about 2 trillion yen ($17.7 billion) to electrify more of the Japanese company’s fleet.
The automaker also expects an automated car service to address the public transport driver shortage. With Japan’s rapidly aging population and declining performance, the inability of the elderly to move, especially in rural areas, has emerged as a growing social problem. In the same context, Nissan is testing similar self-driving buses in Nami, a city in Fukushima Prefecture that was previously damaged and whose residents were temporarily evacuated after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami struck Japan.
So far, the automated car service has proven popular with test riders, with a middle-aged passenger booking taxis in Yokohama 38 times during the last 29-day test period, according to John Watanabe, director in business partnership development at April”. However other users think they are still better when it comes to overcoming traffic jams, Watanabe said.