Baidu, the Chinese tech giant, will operate its driverless vehicle service in two major Chinese cities. According to a press statement, the artificial intelligence startup has finally received permission to run a limited number of its Apollo Go autonomous fleet vehicles in the cities of Wuhan and Chongqing – and without a human driver on board.
![Baidu](https://www.cleanfuture.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AP21122394712567.jpg)
Initially, the business will only operate five cars in each city between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. — a far cry from the 30 autonomous taxis operated by GM’s Cruise fleet in San Francisco, which are permitted to charge consumers for rides during similar hours.
![](https://www.cleanfuture.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Baidu_Apollo_Robotaxi_Small.jpg)
This week, Baidu also stated that Jidu Auto, its “robot” car arm, is developing technology that will be a generation ahead of Tesla’s self-driving capabilities – a remarkable assertion, given Tesla’s accomplishments in the sector.
![](https://www.cleanfuture.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/8ac05089be50fb86311780a42180b333.jpg)
According to Reuters, Jidu, which debuted its door-less “robocar” idea in June, intends to use two light detection and ranging software censors — also known as “Lidar” — as well as 12 cameras.
Only time will tell how Baidu’s completely autonomous taxi test goes, but if GM’s experience in San Francisco is any indication, things might get nasty.
Reference- Baidu Press Release, Reuters, ABC News, Times Of India, Futurism