Janice R. Andrews
It’s feasible to have a taxi driven by someone else without a driver. Chinese autonomous ride-sharing company Baidu’s Apollo Go has been in the news since its 2017 debut in Yizhuang, a neighbourhood in suburban Beijing commonly referred to as E-town. These autonomous taxis are already moving closer to being fully operational businesses, providing an early look at how urban transit may develop in the future.
An Adventure with a Robotaxi
Zheng Chunying, the reporter, was able to see the invention firsthand lately. The door will now automatically open if I simply input the final four digits of my registered phone number. You see, we are the only ones inside. Alright, let’s buckle up and push the button. It’s moving, wow.
When driving, the robotaxi handled turns and changing lanes to pass other cars with ease. It also manoeuvred through the streets with efficiency. In an emergency, there is even a button to dial for assistance. Beijing Daxing International Airport is among the important areas to which these driverless cars are presently being deployed.
We made it safely, wow. Five kilometres took us around ten minutes, exactly as in a typical cab, Chunying wrote after the trip.
The Benchmarks of Baidu Apollo
Beijing became the home base for Baidu’s Apollo R&D centre in 2017. The organisation has experienced remarkable development in both user numbers and engagement over the last ten years.
“Baidu Apollo has accumulated over 100 million kilometres of high-level autonomous driving safety testing mileage and holds over 5,000 autonomous driving patent families, ranking first globally in the number of high-level autonomous driving patent families,” stated Chuchu Liu, Baidu Apollo’s PR Manager.
The Initiative for Smart Cities
The accomplishment of Apollo Go is a component of China’s larger plan to create smart cities. President Xi Jinping underlined in 2017 how important it is to encourage urban growth and turn cities into intelligent, 21st-century centres. Major cities were pushed by Xi to modernise urban government by 2020 by utilising big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence technology.
Beijing’s E-zone, which opened a demonstration area for autonomous driving in September 2020, is at the centre of these initiatives. This region represents the world’s first vehicle-road-cloud system integration. The first thirty autonomous driving permits have been authorised by the economic zone, enabling high-speed and quick stretches of six test routes totalling 143 km to be used for driving testing.
Our demonstration zone has over 200 firms, specialising in radar, sensors, operating systems, algorithms, and other cutting-edge technological fields. The outcomes of today are the consequence of collaboration,” stated Kong Lei, Director of the Beijing E-town Management Committee.
Driverless Cars in Daily Life
In China, self-driving cars are finding their way into everyday life, from delivery vans and buses to sanitation and security patrol vehicles. China’s will to advance reforms, increase independence, and fortify its position in science and technology is a fundamental component of its development.
China has made large technological expenditures in recent years, as seen by the increase in high-tech expertise, contracts, and patents. 950,000 technology contracts were signed in 2023 alone, with a transaction volume of over 6 trillion yuan, representing a growth of more than 28% year over year. Over 920,000 authorised innovation patents have been granted, an increase of more than 15% over the previous year.
“China has excelled in innovation tremendously. Innovation and technology will be the main drivers of Chinese prosperity in the future. That’s the only way to truly break free from the middle-income trap and transform China into a developed country with a high GDP per person, according to Soumitra Dutta, dean of Oxford University’s Said Business School.
In an attempt to promote innovation, the Chinese government promised to set aside 370 billion yuan for research and technology by 2024. Beijing E-Town is well-positioned to contribute significantly to this endeavour.
“More application possibilities for collaborative autonomous driving between vehicles and roads will be implemented. Jie Fei, Executive Deputy Director of the Beijing Autonomous Driving Demonstration Area, stated, “We’ll also achieve more scientific research results, gather more talents for scientific research, and accelerate the research and development of core technologies.”
In addition to expanding the market for Chinese IT firms like Baidu’s Apollo Go, the move is anticipated to boost economic development and raise living standards in the nation.
China’s entry into the autonomous robotaxis market is a major development for the nation’s smart city programs. Services like as Apollo Go have the potential to revolutionise urban mobility and enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and connectivity of cities as autonomous technology advances. From this point forward, China will be leading the world into a future where creativity and technology will propel advancement and growth. It should be an amazing ride.
