At least 19 Chinese cities are testing robotaxis and robobuses, and seven have approved tests without human driver monitors by at least five industry leaders: Apollo Go, Pony.ai, WeRide, AutoX and SAIC Motor. Apollo Go, a subsidiary of tech giant Baidu, plans to deploy 1,000 robotaxis in Wuhan by the end of the year and operate in 100 cities by 2030. Pony.ai, backed by Japan’s Toyota Motor, operates 300 robotaxis and plans to have 1,000 by 2026. WeRide is known for its self-driving taxis, vans, buses and street sweepers, while AutoX, backed by Alibaba Group, operates in cities including Beijing and Shanghai. SAIC Motor has been operating a robotaxi since 2021.
In the U.S., Alphabet’s Waymo operates a fleet of more than 1,000 self-driving robotaxis in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, charging fares. Cruise, backed by General Motors, resumed testing in April after a crash last year.
Despite safety concerns in China, robotaxi vehicles are increasing under government approval to support economic goals. Regional competition was spurred last year by President Xi Jinping’s call for “new productive capacity.” Beijing began testing in limited areas in June, and Guangzhou announced it was opening up its entire city’s roads to autonomous driving tests. Some Chinese companies have tried to test self-driving cars in the United States, but the White House is expected to ban vehicles equipped with Chinese-developed systems.
According to official data, the number of registered ride-hailing drivers in China has increased significantly, from 4.4 million two years ago to 7 million today. Ride-hailing has provided jobs as a last resort during economic downturns, and the proliferation of robotaxis could force the government to reconsider its pace because of the potential social impact. Discussions of job losses from robotaxis topped social media searches in July, with hashtags such as “Are driverless cars stealing taxi drivers’ livelihoods?”
Wuhan drivers have a unique nickname for the Apollo Go vehicles: “Stupid Moo” because of their tendency to cause traffic jams. An example of the impact of job automation can be seen in driving schools. China’s driving schools have cut their instructors by more than half, instead hiring teachers in a Beijing control center to monitor students in a fleet of 610 vehicles equipped with computerized teaching tools. These tools score students on driving performances such as each wheel turn and brake tap, and virtual reality simulators help students navigate tricky road conditions.
(with input from Reuters)
