Apollo Go plans to operate in Hong Kong on a trial basis, with the first phase of testing at the airport by the end of this year at the earliest, a Hong Kong media outlet reported.
Baidu is reportedly planning to begin trial operations of its robotaxi service Apollo Go in Hong Kong soon, after offering the service in more than 10 cities in the Chinese mainland.
Apollo Go plans to operate in Hong Kong on a trial basis, with the first phase of testing to take place at the airport by the end of this year at the earliest, Hong Kong media outlet TVB said in a report today.
Baidu had submitted an application for a trial self-driving test license and an autonomous vehicle certificate last month, which is still under approval, the report said, citing the Hong Kong Transport Department.
The Transport Department will strictly check and facilitate the testing of autonomous vehicles in Hong Kong in an orderly and safe manner, the report said.
The first phase of the tests, which would start before the end of the year, would be conducted during off-peak hours and would include a local driver with more than 10 years of driving experience as a backup operator, the report said, citing a government document.
Baidu got involved in self-driving technology in 2013, and was one of the first Chinese companies to enter the field.
On May 15 this year, Baidu unveiled its sixth-generation robotaxi, costing 200,000 yuan ($27,600), a 60 percent drop from the previous model.
These vehicles would join the robotaxi fleet on Apollo Go, which by the end of 2024 planned to deploy 1,000 sixth-generation robotaxis in Wuhan, Hubei province, Baidu said in May.
On June 19, Apollo Go began offering a 100 percent fully driverless ride hailing service in Wuhan.
To date, Apollo Go is available in more than 10 cities in the Chinese mainland.
Apollo Go provided 988,000 ride hails in the third quarter of 2024, up 20 percent year-on-year, according to Baidu's third-quarter earnings report.
As of October 28, Apollo Go has provided more than 8 million cumulative ride hailing services to the public.
($1 = RMB 7.2468)
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