Baidu to launch first self-driving taxis in two Chinese cities
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Chinese internet company Baidu has been licensed to launch fully self-driving taxis in Wuhan and Chongqing. informs portal TechCrunch. It is specified that by 2030 the geography of the project will be expanded to 100 Chinese cities.
The company received a commercial service permit after a similar permit was issued to it in Beijing in April. However, the program in the Chinese capital is free and requires an operator in the front passenger seat to monitor the situation.
At the first stage, the robot taxi will operate in Wuhan on an area of 13 square meters. km from 9:00 to 17:00, in Chongqing – from 09:30 to 16:30 for 30 square meters. km in the Yongchuan area. Each of the cities will be equipped with five fifth-generation Apollo machines. By the end of 2022, another 300 vehicles will be added to the robotaxi fleet.
The presentation of a new car with a removable steering wheel and the possibility of autonomous control took place at the end of July. It was noted that the driving skills of an autopilot can be compared with a driver with twenty years of experience.
The launch in Wuhan and Chongqing will be the first commercial driverless passenger service in China’s history, according to a company spokesperson. However, in world practice this is far from the first case of the use of unmanned taxis for commercial purposes. In particular, a similar service has been provided in the United States since 2020. Waymo drone manufacturer from Arizona announced a launch in San Francisco, but the exact timing is still unknown.
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