Baidu Launches Public Robotaxi Trial Operation
September 26 2019 - 10:17AM
Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) today debuted Apollo Robotaxi in
Changsha, Hunan province, with the first batch of 45 self-driving
taxis officially starting trial operations on urban roads. Apollo
Robotaxi deploys L4 Hongqi EV vehicles jointly developed with
Chinese carmaker FAW Group.
Ride hailing is now open for trial by the
general public in Changsha, with the fleet of robotaxis able to
perform a range of intelligent self-driving functions, including
changing lanes based on road and traffic conditions, assessing the
movement of nearby vehicles and employing automatic avoidance when
encountering aggressive overtaking by other vehicles. With safety
as a top priority, a human operator is also assigned to each
robotaxi to take control of the autonomous system in situations
that could affect the safety of passengers or the vehicle
itself.
“The robotaxi trial operations in Changsha
demonstrate that the Apollo Robotaxi is progressing from research
and development to a market reality, which will serve to provide
rich feedback from real-world scenarios. Throughout the entire
process, we have been and will always be committed to safety first
and foremost,” said Zhenyu Li, Vice President of Baidu and General
Manager of its Intelligent Driving Group. "Intelligent driving
is a great journey, and today marks a solid step forward. We will
continue to work together with our partners with the aim of
bringing a safer, more comfortable and more efficient autonomous
driving experience to all."
Apollo Robotaxi is set to offer passenger rides
in a pilot zone in Changsha covering a total area of 70km² and
135km-long open roads - making it the largest in China with the
most extensive coverage of complex road conditions and the most
advanced vehicle-infrastructure cooperative systems. Within the
pilot zone, the trial operation will cover around 50km by the end
of 2019 and, in the first half of 2020, Apollo Robotaxi will cover
the entire 135km stretch open to autonomous driving.
The collaboration between Baidu and FAW has long
been advancing the acceleration of the robotaxi. The Hongqi EV
fleet, jointly developed with FAW Hongqi, represents China’s first
volume production of preinstalled L4 autonomous driving vehicles.
Hongqi EV is the latest product of Apollo's autonomous driving
technology, realized through a synergy of leading software and
hardware capabilities, preinstallation production capacity, fluid
human-vehicle interface, a safety guarantee and the multifaceted
upgrade and optimization of fleet management via the cloud. With a
factory-installed customized Apollo OBU (On-Board Unit), the L4
Hongqi EV can carry out L4 V2X communication with intelligent
roadside equipment and achieve a seamless interplay between vehicle
and infrastructure.
Baidu and FAW Hongqi have worked closely to
redesign both the installation scheme of the autonomous driving
unit for the robotaxi as well as the electrical/electronic
architecture of the entire vehicle. The companies are now able to
optimally integrate the two sections during factory installation,
addressing issues including signal interference and detachment
caused by modification and dismounting.
About Baidu
Baidu, Inc. is the leading Chinese language
Internet search provider. Baidu aims to make the complicated world
simpler for users and enterprises through technology. Baidu’s ADSs
trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BIDU.”
Currently, ten ADSs represent one Class A ordinary share.
Media
ContactIntlcomm@baidu.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available
at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/63c65d1c-981e-4474-9b93-1c0f591339a3
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