Tokyo: Nissan Motor, Uber Technologies, and the UK startup Wave announced today that the three companies will collaborate on developing robot taxis (or self-driving taxis), aiming to begin a pilot program in Tokyo by the end of 2026. This collaboration marks Uber’s first autonomous vehicle partnership in Japan. The plan involves providing Nissan Leaf electric vehicles equipped with Wave’s autonomous driving technology to customers via Uber’s platform. Initially, these vehicles will operate on Uber’s system, accompanied by a trained driver for safety. Uber plans to launch the service through licensed taxi partners in Japan.
According to Thai News Agency, Ivan Espinosa, CEO of Nissan, revealed that all parties are currently discussing the possibility of expanding the collaboration to markets outside of Japan. Wave, supported by SoftBank and Nvidia, has been in partnership with Uber since August 2024 and aims to launch in over 10 cities worldwide, including London, by the end of this year.
Furthermore, in September, Nissan stated that it had begun testing driver assistance systems using Wave technology in preparation for its official launch in Japan within the 2027 fiscal year.