Baidu Secures Hong Kong’s First Self-Driving License
Baidu secures the first license in Hong Kong to test autonomous vehicles, marking a significant milestone. The company's Apollo Go service is making strides with plans to deploy robotaxis and enhance profitability. Collaboration with Tesla to integrate mapping technology highlights efforts to advance vehicle autonomy.
This milestone reflects Baidu's determination to expand its presence in the field of autonomous driving technology beyond mainland China.
The granted license permits Baidu's Apollo International unit to initiate a trial involving 10 autonomous vehicles specifically in the North Lantau area, as confirmed by HKSAR’s Transport Department. This development underscores Baidu's dedication to enhancing its capabilities in AI, particularly in autonomous driving and machine learning, which are crucial for its strategic advancement.
Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing service, known as "Apollo Go," has been making significant progress. In May, it unveiled an affordable robotaxi model with plans to achieve profitability by next year. The service has also announced intentions to deploy 1,000 robotaxis in Wuhan by the conclusion of 2024. These initiatives not only demonstrate Baidu's technological expertise but also its competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving autonomous vehicle market.
Moreover, Baidu's collaboration with Tesla Inc., revealed in April, to integrate its mapping technology into Tesla's self-driving systems in mainland China, showcases a collaborative effort to enhance vehicle autonomy. This partnership has the potential to enhance the functionality and reliability of self-driving cars by leveraging Baidu's mapping expertise.
Baidu's expansion into Hong Kong through Apollo Go aligns with its broader vision to extend the benefits of AI and autonomous driving technologies worldwide. A spokesperson from Apollo Go expressed optimism about sharing these technological advancements with more countries and regions, with the goal of creating a future where autonomous vehicles are commonplace.
This strategic move into Hong Kong not only tests Baidu's technological capabilities in a new regulatory environment but also positions the company to access the global market, potentially paving the way for other regions to follow suit.
Baidu secures the first license in Hong Kong to test autonomous vehicles, marking a significant milestone.
The company's Apollo Go service is making strides with plans to deploy robotaxis and enhance profitability.
Collaboration with Tesla to integrate mapping technology highlights efforts to advance vehicle autonomy.
Source: WALL STREET PIT