The Chinese technology giant Baidu was the first company in the People’s Republic to receive the green light to operate fully autonomous robotic taxis on public roads. The licenses are effective immediately in the two Chinese metropolises of Chongqing and Wuhan Googlecompetitor announced on Monday. Robotaxis could now operate there without additional safety drivers.
This is a turning point in dealing with self-driving cars, Baidu explained. The operation of the robotaxis is initially restricted to certain periods of the day. Baidu is starting with five cars in each of the two cities and is already negotiating an expansion of the offer to cities with over a million inhabitants such as Beijing and Shanghai. According to its own statements, the Chinese group’s robotic division has now completed more than a million trips in ten Chinese cities.
Baidu competes with that of Toyota co-financed start-up Pony.ai. This is already allowed to use robotic taxis with restrictions in Beijing, but must continue to have a driver in the passenger seat. Car companies and technology companies around the world are investing billions in the development and operation of self-driving cars.
San Francisco pioneer of robotic taxis
China like them United States are more advanced than others when it comes to permits. In San Francisco, the automotive future has already become more tangible. There, robot taxis without drivers from the start-up Cruise are already on the road on selected streets. In the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, Waymo, a spin-off from Google parent company Alphabet, is already operating the world’s first autonomous robotaxi service.