China has approved the use of autonomous robotaxis in Shanghai
- Officials in China have approved the use of robotaxis in Shanghai
- Four companies will be taking part in the trial: Baidu, Saike Technology, Pony.ai, and Auto X
- It’s been hailed as a significant step for autonomous vehicles
Published on Jul 11, 2024 at 7:27 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 11, 2024 at 9:00 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Officials in China have approved the use of autonomous robotaxis in Shanghai as the country makes moves to become the global leader in driverless vehicles.
Residents in certain parts of the bustling city will now be able to order and use free robotaxis from four companies – Baidu, Saike Technology, Pony.ai, and Auto X.
The companies have been licensed to offer completely unmanned robotaxi services on specified open roads.
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Robotaxis will be take to the streets of Shanghai
The project will see the taxis sent out into a 205-kilometer testing area in Shanghai’s Pudong district, according to a post shared by Pony.ai on WeChat.
The testing area covers 205 kilometers of roads in Shanghai’s Pudong district, Pony.ai said in a WeChat post.
Shanghai is the latest of several cities in China to allow trial runs of robotaxis without safety operators, with Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou all previously signing up.
The move has been hailed as an important step for autonomous taxi firms – particularly when it comes to the future of commercializing robotaxis.
“It may still take longer to see large-scale commercialization of robotaxis in China, but approval [from major cities] is an important step in granting these companies access to test their technology and access road data,” said Angus Chan, an auto analyst at Bocom International told The Wall Street Journal.
China isn’t the only country exploring driverless taxis
China isn’t the only country getting in on the robotaxi market.
Amazon subsidiary Zoox has been spotted on the streets of Las Vegas in the US – specifically by us – while Waymo is currently operational in parts of San Francisco and certain areas of Phoenix, Arizona.
“Tesla and Waymo have conducted massive trials on the West Coast,” Qu added.
“China can’t be inactive and wait when U.S. companies have already made their move.”
Meanwhile, Tesla boss Elon Musk has previously suggested that Tesla owners could potentially end up making $30,000 a year by turning their cars into robotaxis when lawmakers allow it.
Tesla is due to launch its own robotaxis next month and has recently shared a glimpse at how the service will work.
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With a background in both local and national press in the UK, Claire moved to New Zealand before joining the editorial team at Supercar Blondie in May 2024. As a Senior Content Writer working on New Zealand Standard Time (NZST), Claire was the first writer on the team to make the site’s output a slick 24/7 operation covering the latest in automotive news.
