Waymo Heads to Singapore: Robotaxis Coming to the City-State's Roads

Waymo, the company developing autonomous driving technology, has announced plans to expand into Singapore. There it intends to launch a fleet of all-electric driverless taxis, framing the project as a contribution to the city's environmental strategy — the "Singapore Green Plan 2030" — and to its ambition to become a leader in "smart mobility."

A Phased Rollout

Waymo will proceed just as cautiously here as it has in other cities. Operations are set to begin next year, but at first the vehicles will be driven by people: the company will focus on mapping and validation trips across all of Singapore's districts. The data gathered is needed to secure approval for its autonomous driving system from the Land Transport Authority in 2027.

Only after this period of manual driving will trained local autonomous vehicle specialists take the wheel, and only then will the cars switch to fully driverless mode. Waymo expects to open its commercial passenger service in 2028. Test rides will run around the clock, seven days a week, and data processing will be carried out in compliance with Singapore's personal data protection law.

The Technology and the Numbers

Waymo will start out with the familiar electric Jaguar I-PACE, equipped with the fifth generation of the Waymo Driver. The system relies on a suite of sensors — cameras, radars and lidars — that provide a 360-degree view at distances of up to 300 meters, day and night, in rain and clear weather alike.

To make the case for the technology's readiness, the company points to its own statistics: more than 300 million kilometers driven on public roads, over 500,000 trips a week, and a presence in more than fifteen major U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. According to Waymo, in the cities where it operates fully autonomously, the number of injury-causing crashes over a comparable distance is 94% lower than for human drivers. The company is also building up autonomous-driving experience in London and Tokyo, and expects it to transfer well to Singapore's streets.

Waymo explains its choice of Singapore by pointing to the city's well-developed multimodal transport system and its long-standing commitment to innovation and sustainable development. The company intends to work in close coordination with the Ministry of Transport and the relevant agencies, stressing that driverless taxis should not compete with public transit but complement it — including by expanding mobility for the elderly and for those who don't drive.

Source: Hacker News