While Americans wait for their first autonomous taxis to roll through city streets, two Chinese companies have already dispatched driverless taxis in at least three Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Baidu, the Google of China, has established a nationwide fleet of robo-taxis powered by Baidu’s in-house self-driving technology called Apollo. It is currently offering free rides to the public as a promotional strategy, though the company recently indicated plans to begin charging and creating a recurring revenue stream.
The self-driving technology is expected to witness large-scale commercial application in the next five years, Robin Li, chairman and CEO of Baidu, told China Daily.
Baidu is being challenged by DiDi Chuxing, the Uber of China. Didi is the largest ride-hailing service in China and deployed dozens of self-driving vehicles on the streets of Shanghai in June 2020, according to a report by Nikkei Asia. It is also using f