Chinese search engine and AI giant Baidu and global taxi-hailing firm Uber Technologies have agreed to work together to deploy thousands of Baidu Apollo Go robotaxis in markets outside the US and mainland China, a move that comes as Tesla seeks to expand its robotaxis in the US.
The multi-year deal will see robotaxis deployed in Asia and the Middle East later this year, according to a joint statement. It was unclear whether the partnership would include Hong Kong, where Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis were introduced under a trial phase in early May. Uber is not licensed to operate non-taxi vehicles in the city.
The move comes as competition for the future of driverless technology is heating up. Tesla’s full self-driving system, which relies on on-board cameras and artificial intelligence algorithms, is challenging other self-driving technologies that use ultra-sensitive lasers. This week, Tesla expanded the “geofence” for its robotaxi pilot service in Austin, Texas, less than a month after its launch.
However, Baidu is far ahead in terms of robotaxi fleet size. In addition to its operations in mainland Chinese cities including Shenzhen and Wuhan, the company has deployed over 1,000 driverless vehicles globally, spanning 15 cities, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Apollo Go vehicles are the world’s first to support L4 autonomous driving, which allows a vehicle to operate without human input under specific conditions in cities and on highways.
Apollo Go uses sensors, cameras and software to navigate and follow traffic rules, but may require a driver to intervene when outside its operational limits.
