Latest details of Robot Taxi introduction in Japan

A Japanese company has indeed launched a robot taxi a few days ago. This exciting new driverless vehicle is the result of a partnership between ZMP, a company which creates technology for automated vehicles, & the well known mobile internet company DeNa. However, presently it is just a vehicle launch and not the commercial service launch. It will only be some time in the first quarter of next year that the service will be offered on an experimental basis to about 50 locals in a town near Tokyo. They will be given 3km rides through regular traffic in the robot taxi to grocery stores.

Unique features of the robot taxi are:

1. It does not have a driver. However, during the trial phase for the locals as also likely when the regular service is launched, a human driver will be at the wheel just to take over in case there are any technical glitches and the car does need an emergency manual touch to set things right.


2. The main target of the robot taxi is not just tourists, especially those who will arrive in hordes for the 2020 Summer Olympics, but the elderly people and those who have limited ability to drive a vehicle. The robot taxi will also be very handy for transportation in rural areas where public transport is not available for commuting.

Regarding your queries about price and availability in India:

1. The robot taxi is not for sale as a private vehicle. It will be part of a public transport service.


2. It is unlikely the Japanese robot taxi service will be available in India. In fact, driverless vehicles in India are a distant dream, considering the costs involved.

Thanks a lot for precise reply and covered almost all the required detail which I was looking for. By the way, is it petrol type or battery type vehicle?

The robot taxi in Japan perhaps will be operating on batteries since it is based on robotic technology. It will incorporate high-tech software similar to the ones used in smartphones and games. However, I have no idea about the battery capacity and how long it will last. Perhaps it will be limited to a certain distance and - who knows - charging stations would need to be set up to fuel them!