On April 14, Waymo will start testing its robotaxi technology outside the US for the first time. Waymo is taking it slow and will not be operating them without a driver behind the wheel yet, however. Drivers from Tokyo taxi company Nihon Kotsu Co. will be driving the cars around Chiyoda, Minato, Shinjuku and four other wards in the Japanese capital. The cameras and radars equipped on the I-PACE vehicles will collect data on Tokyo's roads, which are typically narrower than roads in the US. They'll provide the company with information on local infrastructure, road conditions and the driving patterns of locals.

Waymo is teaming up with Jaguar Land Rover on autonomous vehicles, its second major automaker partnership and a big boost for the nascent technology that has come under scrutiny recently. Under the accord, Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo will integrate its self-driving system into Jaguar's I-Pace electric SUVs, the first all-electric offering from the luxury unit of Tata Motors Ltd. Waymo said it plans to place 20,000 autonomous I-Pace vehicles on the road for tests in 2018. By 2020, the vehicles will become part of Waymo's ride-hailing taxi service, set to begin this year. "It ended up being a really terrific next vehicle for us and fit one of the key aspects of our business plan," John Krafcik, Waymo's chief executive officer, said in an interview. "We can get closer to getting just the right car for just the ride that person has requested."