Baidu's "Apollo Go" Eyes Global Expansion

Tesla Unveils CyberCab Amid Growing Autonomous Driving Rivalry

On October 11th, Tesla finally unveiled its much-hyped Robotaxi "Cybercab". At the launch event, it was noticed that the Cybercab lacks a steering wheel or pedals. On site, Musk proudly claimed that the vehicle will cost below $30,000 (approximately 212,000 yuan), and will produce the Cybercab before 2027.

People are crazy about this tech-savvy Robotaxi. In fact, the fierce competition, between Chinese and American tech companies on the autonomous driving industry, has begun long time ago.

Baidu’s Autonomous Driving Advances with "Apollo Go"

This year, Baidu, a Chinese tech giant, has made frequent moves with its autonomous driving taxi service, named "Apollo Go" or "萝卜快跑".

In May, on the Baidu Apollo Day 2024, Baidu unveiled its unmanned vehicle "Apollo Go", equipped with Apollo ADFM, the world's first L4 autonomous driving large model, and the sixth-generation intelligent system solution. In the same month, Baidu put 1,000 "Apollo Go" vehicles into operation in Wuhan, China.

In July, according to Baidu’s 2024 Q2 earnings release, "Apollo Go" cumulatively received a 7 million orders from public. And in Wuhan City, "Apollo Go" received a peak of 20 orders per day, reaching the average daily orders of a taxi driver.

Global Expansion Plans for "Apollo Go"

Just before Tesla released the Cybercab yeaterday, there was news said "Apollo Go" is planning its global expasion, aiming to extend its competitive advantage beyond Mainland China. Informed sources told the media that "Apollo Go" hopes to test and deploy its robotaxis in Singapore, the Middle East, and other places. Insiders from "Apollo Go" stated that the company plans to release the 10.0 version of Apollo Auto, which is "specifically designed for global users".

It is reported that the Apollo Auto 10.0 will be equipped with Baidu's latest autonomous driving large model ADFM (Autonomous Driving Foundation Model), making it the world’s first to be equipped with a large model. This upgrade will greatly enhance the safety, intelligence, and ease of use of the open platform.

Other Chinese Players in the Autonomous Driving Industry

Besides, several other Chinese leading autonomous driving companies, including Pony.ai and WeRide, have already went abroad, carrying out autonomous vehicle testing and commercial operation services in the United States, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and etc.

The Future of Autonomous Driving

The emergence of AI deep learning and the improvements in computer vision technologies fast tracking the development of the autonomous driving, putting the industry now on the eve of commercialization.