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Waymo Plans to Bring Self-Driving Robotaxis to Singapore by 2028

Waymo、2028年までにシンガポールへ自動運転ロボタクシー導入を計画

#autonomous vehicles#robotaxi#Waymo#Singapore#transportation
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People in Singapore will soon be able to ride in cars without human drivers. Autonomous vehicle company Waymo, owned by Alphabet, announced plans to launch a self-driving taxi service in the city by 2028. Before opening to passengers, the company will bring its vehicles to Singapore to map roads and test them with human safety drivers in 2027.

owned by Alphabet= Waymoを修飾する過去分詞による縮約関係詞節(関係代名詞節 'which is owned by Alphabet' の短縮形)です。

Singapore was selected because it has a modern and safe transportation system. However, Waymo cannot offer rides immediately. The company must get official approval from Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA). Every self-driving car in the country must pass strict safety tests at the Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research (CETRAN), a center created by transport officials and the Traffic Police.

Singapore already allows some autonomous vehicles, including driverless buses for airport workers and automated street sweepers. Waymo is also expanding to other major cities around the world, planning robotaxi launches in London, Tokyo, and Munich over the next few years.

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Passengers in Singapore may soon be hailing driverless taxis as Alphabet-owned Waymo prepares to launch its robotaxi service in the city-state by 2028. The expansion marks another major international move for the self-driving technology company. Waymo plans to bring its vehicles to Singapore in the coming months to begin road mapping and conduct autonomous testing with human safety drivers behind the wheel throughout 2027.

as Alphabet-owned Waymo prepares to launch= 接続詞の「as」は「〜すると同時に」を意味し、複数の出来事が並行して進む様子を表します。behind the wheel= 「ハンドルを握って」「運転席で」を意味する慣用句です。

Before launching public ride-hailing services, Waymo must receive official approval from Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA). The city-state mandates that all autonomous vehicles complete a rigorous safety assessment at the Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research (CETRAN), which developed its testing criteria alongside the LTA and the Traffic Police. Waymo has already laid the groundwork for its entry by creating a local corporate entity and joining Singapore's Steering Committee on Autonomous Vehicles.

mandates that all autonomous vehicles complete= 動詞「mandate」の後のthat節では、仮定法現在(原形動詞 complete)が用いられます。laid the groundwork for= 「〜の下準備をする」「〜の基礎を築く」という意味の慣用表現です。

Singapore has established itself as a leading global hub for autonomous vehicle testing. Local authorities have previously approved self-driving freight delivery vehicles, automated road sweepers, and driverless worker buses at the airport, while Hyundai-backed Motional tested robotaxis there as early as 2016. Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana praised Singapore's focus on reliability and sustainability, noting that its forward-thinking transport ecosystem mirrors Waymo's own technological goals.

has established itself as= 「〜としての地位を確立した」を意味し、実績により認められた状態を表します。as early as 2016= 「早くも2016年に」を意味し、時期が非常に早かったことを強調します。

The Singapore announcement is part of a broader global push by Waymo, which aims to launch robotaxis in London by the end of 2026, Tokyo in 2027, and Munich in late 2027 for its European Union debut. While Waymo operates roughly 4,000 vehicles across 15 U.S. cities—recently adding markets like Las Vegas and Denver—regulatory hurdles and political opposition have delayed its entry into major American cities such as New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., driving its accelerated growth overseas.

part of a broader global push= 「より広範な世界展開の一環」を意味し、全体の戦略的取り組みの一部であることを示します。driving its accelerated growth overseas= 結果を表す分詞構文で、「それが海外での成長加速につながっている」を意味します。

学習ノート

表現パターン

パターン意味
owned by AlphabetWaymoを修飾する過去分詞による縮約関係詞節(関係代名詞節 'which is owned by Alphabet' の短縮形)です。
as Alphabet-owned Waymo prepares to launch接続詞の「as」は「〜すると同時に」を意味し、複数の出来事が並行して進む様子を表します。
behind the wheel「ハンドルを握って」「運転席で」を意味する慣用句です。
mandates that all autonomous vehicles complete動詞「mandate」の後のthat節では、仮定法現在(原形動詞 complete)が用いられます。
laid the groundwork for「〜の下準備をする」「〜の基礎を築く」という意味の慣用表現です。
has established itself as「〜としての地位を確立した」を意味し、実績により認められた状態を表します。
as early as 2016「早くも2016年に」を意味し、時期が非常に早かったことを強調します。
part of a broader global push「より広範な世界展開の一環」を意味し、全体の戦略的取り組みの一部であることを示します。
driving its accelerated growth overseas結果を表す分詞構文で、「それが海外での成長加速につながっている」を意味します。

語彙

語意味
hailingあられ。強い上昇気流によって降ってくる、氷の小粒。
mandates公式の命令や指示を記した文書;権限を与える公的な委任
groundwork物事を始めたり発展させたりするための基礎となる準備や取り組み。
rigorous基準や手順を厳密に守り、少しの不正確さや例外も認めないさま。
ecosystem生物の集団と、それを取り巻く物理的環境とが相互に作用して成り立つ一つのまとまり。生態系。

言語メモ

  • •シンガポールのCETRAN(自動運転試験研究センター)は、都市環境における自動運転技術の標準化された安全試験枠組みを作成するために2016年に設立されました。
  • •Alphabet傘下のWaymoは「レベル4」の自動運転技術を採用しており、特定の運行設計領域(ODD)内において人間の介入なしで車両が走行します。

練習

読んだ内容を確認しましょう。

  1. The city-state   that all autonomous vehicles complete a rigorous safety assessment at the Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research (CETRAN), which developed its testing criteria alongside the LTA and the Traffic Police.

  2. Why is Waymo expanding its robotaxi service overseas rather than solely focusing on major U.S. cities?

  3. In the phrase 'conduct autonomous testing with human safety drivers behind the wheel', what does 'behind the wheel' mean?

Source: The Verge