Chinese company Baidu to launch robotaxi network in Britain and Germany in 2026
Kyiv • UNN
Chinese internet giant Baidu plans to launch its robotaxi service Apollo Go via the Lyft app in Germany and the UK in 2026. This expansion will take place subject to regulatory approval, and the fleet of autonomous vehicles will be expanded to thousands of vehicles across Europe.
Chinese internet giant Baidu plans to launch its robotaxi on the ride-sharing app Lyft in Germany and the UK in 2026. This could happen pending regulatory approval, both companies said, UNN reports with reference to France24.
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Last month, Baidu announced a similar deal with Uber in Asia and the Middle East, seeking to take pole position in the competitive autonomous driving space both at home and abroad.
Lyft and Baidu said on Monday that "in the coming years" the Apollo Go fleet of self-driving cars will be expanded to thousands of vehicles across Europe. They did not specify in which other countries the cars would be deployed, and it is unclear how long it might take to obtain regulatory approval for the initial deployment.
Self-driving taxis are already on some limited-access roads in the United States and China, including in the central city of Wuhan, where a fleet of more than 500 vehicles can be hailed via an app at designated locations.
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Their reach is expanding, with Shanghai's Pudong financial district recently announcing the issuance of a series of permits for several companies to operate robotaxis.
Chinese tech companies and automakers have invested billions of dollars in autonomous driving technology in recent years, with intelligent driving becoming a new battleground in the country's tough domestic automotive market.
Baidu is not alone among Chinese companies seeking to expand its presence abroad. Its competitor WeRide, which is also active in the Persian Gulf region, announced in January that it had been selected to lead a small pilot project in Switzerland.
Pony.AI, another Chinese company, said in May that it had signed an agreement to launch its self-driving taxis on Uber in a "key Middle East market later this year."
San Francisco-based Lyft said in April that it had agreed to buy the German taxi app Freenow, thereby solidifying its presence in the European market.
According to the group, this acquisition was "Lyft's most significant expansion outside North America."