The company also hopes that automakers will adopt Autoware to develop their own self-driving cars — Suzuki and Isuzu have already invested in Tier IV — which differs in that respect from Waymo, which has vertically integrated the development of much of the technology needed for self-driving taxis.
Good role model
In rural areas of Japan, public transportation such as trains and buses are being discontinued one after another, and the aging population is causing a serious shortage of taxi and bus drivers. In response to this situation, it has emerged that self-driving taxis operated in collaboration with existing taxi companies may no longer require approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Even now, self-driving taxis can be operated as long as there is a person in the driver’s seat to supervise, making them easy to introduce in areas where there is a shortage of professional drivers. Even if fully autonomous driving becomes a reality, it is quite possible that remote monitoring will be possible in some areas.
Tier IV hopes that by quickly demonstrating its self-driving taxi model, more partner companies will adopt the company’s technology and hardware and provide services. “We think it will be enough to commercialize it in about three of our own areas,” says Tier IV’s Kato. “By making this a reference model, we want to make it easier for partner companies to deploy their services.”
In other words, just as Google has done with its Pixel series as a model in the Android smartphone world, it makes sense for Tier IV to package and provide everything from the platform to the solutions and vehicles needed for operation, and then demonstrate commercial operations as a package.
The company is also considering expanding Autoware globally. “Although the service is only being rolled out as a reference model in Japan, we are considering providing it globally, including software, hardware, and solutions,” says Kato. In fact, Autoware is most widely used in China, and is also spreading to the United States, Taiwan, and other countries.
“In the future, we will be able to flexibly respond to requests depending on the region and demand, such as providing just the software, just the parts, or even the entire vehicle or system,” Kato said. “Which part will account for more will vary by country and region, and frankly we don’t know yet. Still, we want to create a system that allows us to provide everything if there is demand.”
