Uber and Baidu target Middle East and Asia with robotaxi service
Uber and Baidu have agreed to a new multi-year partnership to expand with Baidu’s fully automated Baidu Apollo Go cars via the Uber platform. The aim is to “deploy them in multiple global markets outside the US and mainland China.” The partners expect the first deployments to take place in Asia and the Middle East later this year. However, they are not being more specific at this point. It remains to be seen in which countries the service will be launched.
What is clear is that Baidu’s robotaxi subsidiary, Apollo Go, already has a fleet of over 1,000 autonomous vehicles operating in 15 cities, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Baidu has long been ambitious in this field: The company has been experimenting with self-driving cars since 2013 and has now developed six generations of robotaxis in China. At the same time, its Apollo division is also making the technology available to car manufacturers. Baidu’s current robotaxi, called Yichi 06, has five lidars and no steering wheel. Apollo Go’s largest fleet of 400 robotaxis is currently on the road in Wuhan.
Also in China, Baidu is working with CAR to launch a robotaxi-based car hire service for the first time. Just recently, the company announced a partnership with CATL, which also involves autonomous vehicles and battery replacement technologies. CATL wants to contribute its expertise in the areas of battery systems, charging infrastructure and skateboard chassis to the new cooperation, while Baidu will contribute its skills in the field of artificial intelligence.
For Uber, meanwhile, the new deal represents a further building block in the development of an autonomous driving service. The platform had announced five collaborations in this area in the spring with Volkswagen, May Mobility, Momenta, Pony.ai and WeRide. In the USA, Uber is already partnering with Google’s sister company Waymo (in Phoenix and Austin, autonomous vehicles can already be booked via the Uber app, and in future also in Atlanta).
While Uber abandoned its project to develop autonomous cars in 2020 and sold it to Aurora, the company is now fully focused on collaborations, which span several continents. While Uber is initially only cooperating with Western companies (Waymo, VW and May Mobility) in its home market of the USA, Chinese partners Momenta, Pony.ai and WeRide are being given a chance in the Middle East and Europe. As mentioned above, the new partnership with Baidu is now also heading towards the Middle East and Asia.
“We are committed to bringing the benefit of autonomous driving technology to more people in more markets, and this partnership with Uber represents a major milestone in deploying our technology on a global scale,” said Robin Li, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Baidu. “We look forward to working with Uber to deliver safe and efficient autonomous mobility solutions to riders around the world.”
“This partnership brings together two of the world’s most iconic technology companies to help shape the future of mobility,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “As the world’s largest platform of its kind, spanning mobility, delivery, and freight, Uber is uniquely positioned to help AV leaders like Baidu bring their autonomous technology to the world.”
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