Baidu Apollo Go Driverless Cars Coming to Uber
The Chinese internet behemoth Baidu and Uber are collaborating to integrate thousands of Apollo Go autonomous vehicles into Uber’s ridesharing network.
In many of these collaborations, it takes years, if at all, before they fulfill their commitments. But this one is taking place this year.
A multi-year agreement between the two businesses will see Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis join Uber’s fleet. It’s possible that your next journey will arrive without somebody behind the wheel if you use Uber in regions of Asia or the Middle East.
This might mark a turning point in the development of autonomous vehicles. With more than a thousand vehicles currently on the road, Baidu’s Apollo Go service is one of the top autonomous ride-hailing services in the world, so it’s not a newbie testing the waters.
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Apollo Go: A Proven Leader in Driverless Ride-Hailing
More than 11 million public rides have been successfully completed by Baidu in 15 cities, including important hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They have a strong safety record and tested technologies.
“We are committed to bringing the benefits of automated driving to more people in more sectors, and this collaboration with Uber represents an important milestone in deploying our innovation on a global scale,” stated Robin Li, Baidu’s co-founder, chairman, and CEO.
“We love the opportunity to collaborate with Uber in providing riders worldwide with reliable and safe self-navigating solutions.”
Why This Partnership Matters for Uber
What’s in it for Uber, then? It’s a prime illustration of state-of-the-art technology and a global platform. Uber has the users and the network, but maintaining the network’s affordability and functionality is a never-ending battle. An intriguing preview of a future with a more dependable and expandable pool of “drivers” is provided by autonomous cars.
According to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, “this partnership brings us two of the most famous technological firms in the world to help shape the next generation of mobility.”
“As the biggest marketplace of its kind on the globe, covering transport, delivery, Uber is in an exceptional position to help AV pioneers like Baidu in bringing their autonomous vehicles to the international market.”
Paving the Road for the Future of Mobility
Together, Uber and Baidu are tackling the biggest challenge confronting autonomous vehicles: getting them in front of enough people to have an impact. This action may serve as the impetus for the eventual mainstreaming of driverless transport from a specialized experiment.