Chinese search engine giant Baidu has been licensed to operate fully driverless robotaxi services in two Chinese cities; The scheme will also exempt the vehicle from having a driver for safety reasons.
This is the first time a company has been approved to operate a commercial robotaxi service without the presence of a driver in China’s local market.
On Monday, Baidu received licenses to operate commercial robotaxi services in the southwestern cities of Chongqing and Wuhan. The company says the license opens a new chapter in the field of driverless autonomous vehicles.
“These approvals have profound significance for the industry,” commented Wei Dong, Chief Safety Officer of Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group.
“If we compare it to space exploration, it will be equivalent to landing on the moon,” he said in an interview with Reuters.
Baidu will operate five robotaxis in two cities in the first phase, Reuters reported. These taxis will charge a fare from the rider; Will work in Wuhan city from 9 am to 5 pm; And will serve Chongqing city from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
The news agency also reported that Baidu’s robotaxi service will cover an area of 30 square kilometers in Chongqing. The movement of robotaxis will be limited within the 13 square kilometer area of Wuhan’s ‘Economic and Technological Development Zone’.
In April, Baidu’s ‘Apollo’ and Toyota’s ‘Pony.AI’ project received approval to offer robotaxi services in Beijing. Although Beijing has allowed the operation of robotaxi services, there are conditions. Although there is no obligation to have a person in the driver’s seat, the city authorities have made the presence of a driver in the passenger seat mandatory for the sake of safety. This service is already running in Beijing.
Wei said talks are underway with local governments to obtain licenses to operate fully driverless robotaxi services in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen within a year.
Reuters says China is apparently trying to keep pace with the United States in autonomous vehicle technology. Recently, US market regulators have taken major steps in formulating autonomous vehicle policies.
In January, a company named ‘Cruze’ was approved to provide driverless commercial robotaxis services on certain streets in San Francisco, California.
