Hong Kong
CNN business
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The world has been nudging towards fully self-driving cars for years. In China, one company is even closer to achieving it.
Thursday, AutoX, Alibaba
(Baba)A startup backed by China announced that it has deployed fully driverless robo-taxis on public roads in Shenzhen. The company said it became the first player in China to do so, marking an important industry milestone.
Previously, companies operating self-driving shuttles on public roads in the country were constrained by strict warnings that required a safe driver to be inside the vehicle.
This program is different. In Shenzhen, AutoX has completely removed backup drivers or remote operators. For a local fleet of 25 cars, it said. The government has not restricted where in the city AutoX operates, but the company has said it will focus on downtown areas. .
The company has released a video of a minivan – a Fiat Chrysler Pacifica – that drives itself around the city’s downtown, loading passengers, loading luggage in the backseat, and jumping in a dog for a spin.
It also shows cars loading onto trucks, passing pedestrians, and making U-turns.
“It’s a dream,” AutoX CEO Jianxiong Xiao said in an interview. “After years of hard work, the technology is finally mature enough to allow us to really get rid of safety drivers with confidence.”
Xiao said the company worked to improve both its software and hardware before persuading regulators. “We drive over 100 cars every day. [in China] We will capture the data,” he said. “AI software is better [now.]”
“From a technical point of view, the car is ready,” said Xiao. “It is very important to have this car.
AutoX was founded in 2016 by Xiao, a former assistant professor at Princeton University who still likes to be called “Professor X”. The Shenzhen-based company is focused on developing technology that will be used in self-driving cars, partnering with major automakers such as Fiat Chrysler to develop and sell robo-taxis.
The new initiative is still in trial mode and not currently open to the public. Xiao said he hopes to obtain approval to expand the program to regular passengers within the next two to three years.
AutoX claims dominance in China, but this isn’t the first time a fully driverless shuttle has hit the road. This summer, the company cleared another hurdle in one of its most important markets by gaining approval to conduct fully self-driving tests on public roads in parts of San Jose, California.
In October, Alphabet’s Waymo went one step further, say it In Phoenix, Arizona, announced the opening of its driverless transportation service to the general public. (Currently offering rides to local passengers through an app.)
Domestic competition is also intensifying. Recently, Chinese companies have started letting more people experience what it’s like to ride in a self-driving car.
Xiao said the coronavirus pandemic has made the need for contactless services clearer this year, prompting the government to respond more quickly with automation technology.
In June, Didi, China’s largest ride-hailing company, Start of provision Free self-driving car rides within designated areas in Shanghai.
More recently, Chinese tech giant Baidu
(vidu) also announced that anyone in certain districts of Beijing can try out its robo-taxi service. Both of these programs require a dedicated safety driver.
AutoX already has over 100 robo-taxis deployed in five cities in China, including Shanghai and Wuhan. Over the next year, he aims to double his reach to 10+ regional cities. Whether the company can get people behind the wheel in other markets depends on local regulators, Xiao said.
In Shanghai, the company’s vehicles are available to the public and can be summoned via the Autonavi app, Alibaba’s Chinese map app.
The startup’s latest approval from local authorities in Shenzhen comes after six months of trials already being conducted there.
Shao said the company’s lessons learned so far include how to better adapt to local traffic conditions. In Shenzhen, for example, drivers often have to pay attention to delivery men on bicycles and scooters, and drivers are known to drive more aggressively than in the United States, he said.
“Traffic scenarios are much more difficult,” he added. “For our AI, we had to do a lot of work to adapt it to the way local Chinese drive.”
Home to the world’s largest automotive sector, China could one day become the world’s largest market for self-driving cars. report From the consulting firm McKinsey. The country estimates it could generate up to $1.1 trillion in revenue from autonomous mobility services by 2040.
However, the industry still faces a long way to go. Xiao estimates that it will take another five years for driverless taxis to become the norm across China.
“The hurdles are incredibly high,” he said. “It’s very challenging, but we’re very happy.”
