Baidu Apollo Demonstrates New Commercialization Model for Autonomous Driving
April 29, 2021 | PRNewswireEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Baidu, Inc. will open fully driverless robotaxi services to the public in Beijing starting from May 2, 2021, which will be China's first paid autonomous vehicle service where users can hail a robotaxi without a safety driver behind the steering wheel, marking a landmark step on the road to commercialization of autonomous driving. The fully driverless Apollo Go Robotaxi service will first be launched in Beijing's Shougang Park – one of the venues for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics – and will soon be transporting visitors at the games.
With the ride-hailing service being launched during the bustling Labor Day holiday period, Baidu will be the first Chinese company offering a fully driverless robotaxi service under commercial operation. By using the Apollo Go App, users can locate a robotaxi in the vicinity and hail a driverless ride by themselves through a system of unmanned self-service processes. Features including virtual reality navigation and remote car honking can help users to identify the location of the car. To unlock the autonomous vehicles, users are required to scan a QR code and health code on the car for identity verification and pandemic prevention purposes.
Upon boarding the vehicle and clicking on the "Start the Journey" button, the system will ensure that seat belts are fastened and the doors are shut, the trip only beginning after all the passenger safety protocol checks are completed. With no safety driver at the helm, the 5G Remote Driving Service is present at all times to allow human operators to remotely access the vehicles in the case of exceptional emergencies.
At Beijing Shougang Park, the robotaxis will be able to transport users to sports halls, work areas, coffee shops and hotels. During the upcoming Winter Olympics, the Apollo robotaxis will be available to provide shuttle services for athletes and staff.
"Introducing unmanned services is an indispensable stage for the commercialization of autonomous driving. Today, we are opening the fully driverless robotaxi services in Beijing for the public, which we achieved only after conducting countless scalable driverless tests in many cities over a long period of time," said Yunpeng Wang, vice president and general manager of autonomous driving technology at Baidu.
"In the future, Baidu Apollo will launch driverless robotaxis in more cities, enabling the public to access greener, low-carbon, and convenient travel services, while continuing to improve the unmanned service process and user experience," he said. "The commercialization of autonomous driving can alleviate congestion effectively and help to reach the peak carbon dioxide emissions and achieve carbon neutrality in China."
Since October last year, Baidu has started autonomous driving tests for the public under trial operations in areas such as Yizhuang, Haidian and Shunyi in Beijing. Baidu Apollo is moving forward to a new stage of scalable commercialized operations with the launch of the fully driverless robotaxi services in the capital, as a starting point of commercialized operations in first-tier Chinese cities. Baidu Apollo recently announced the completion of over 10 million kilometers of road testing for autonomous driving.
Earlier this week, Guidehouse, a leading global consulting firm, named Baidu as one of the top autonomous driving vendors in the world, with Baidu the only Chinese company listed on the Guidehouse leaderboard. Being recognized by Guidehouse as a leading company for a second consecutive year, Baidu has been investing in autonomous driving for eight years, and has an established a car fleet of 500 vehicles for autonomous driving trials. Baidu has been granted 2,900 patents for intelligent driving and 221 test drive licenses, among which 179 are to test self-driving cars for carrying passengers.
Suggested Items
Absolute EMS Champions Collaboration Between Humans and Robots in Modern Manufacturing
04/19/2024 | Absolute EMS, Inc.Absolute EMS, Inc., an award-winning EMS provider of turnkey contract manufacturing services, offers a perfect factory environment that seamlessly blends robotic automation with human expertise.
Gartner Forecasts Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 8% in 2024
04/17/2024 | Gartner, Inc.Worldwide IT spending is expected to total $5.06 trillion in 2024, an increase of 8% from 2023, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. This is an increase from the previous quarter’s forecast of 6.8% growth and puts worldwide IT spending on track to surpass $8 trillion well before the end of the decade.
Catching Up With Chasom Electronics
04/16/2024 | Dan Beaulieu, D.B. Management GroupI recently met with Chasom Electronics’ founding director Anil Kumar. Chasom offers a unique menu of services for companies looking to extend their technology capabilities on a short- or long-term basis. Read on to learn about this very unique service company.
Europe’s IT, Business Services Sector on the Rebound in Q1: ISG Index
04/15/2024 | BUSINESS WIREEurope’s demand for IT and business services in the first quarter rose for the first time in a year, powered by growth from the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector, according to the latest state-of-the-industry report from Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.
Electronic System Design Industry Posts $4.4 Billion in Revenue in Q4 2023, ESD Alliance Reports
04/09/2024 | SEMIElectronic System Design (ESD) industry revenue increased 14% to $4,423 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 from the $3,879.9 million logged in the third quarter of 2023, the ESD Alliance, a SEMI Technology Community, announced today in its latest Electronic Design Market Data (EDMD) report.