(7 Jun 2021) LEAD IN:
Chinese tech giant Baidu has rolled out its paid driverless taxi service in Beijing, making it the first company to commercialize autonomous driving operations in China.
STORY-LINE:
Since the beginning of May, up to ten Apollo Go driverless taxis has been running in an area of about three square kilometres to pick up and drop off passengers at eight stops in Shougang Park in western Beijing.
Each ride costs 30 yuan ($4.60), and is open to passengers ages 18 to 60.
The taxis are an installation of an autonomous driving system on Hongqi, a domestically produced luxury brand.
By clicking "Start the journey" on an in-car display screen, passengers are asked to fasten seat belts and get ready to hit the road.
Unlike previous Baidu autonomous driving demonstrations in Beijing, this is the first time there is no safety driver sitting behind the steering wheel.
Instead, a safety member is seated in the front passenger seat in case of emergencies.
Passengers can observe vehicles passing by and pedestrians in the vicinity on the in-car screen that displays real-time signals transferred from cameras and LIDAR - equipment on the top of the taxis that uses laser to measure distances.
"The current autonomous driving combines various kinds of sensors, such as cameras, millimetre-wave radar, ultrasound radar, LIDAR. Baidu's autonomous driving integrates cameras and LIDAR, while Elon Musk has said Tesla will stop using laser radar and will use only visual fusion, that is cameras, to solve the problems. The current developers mainly concentrate on intelligent cars," explains Jia Ke, chief editor of an auto industry magazine Auto Business Review.
Passengers can hail a ride using the Apollo Go app on smart phones. When the taxi arrives at the pickup stop, passengers need to scan a QR code to verify their identity before entering the taxi.
Zhang Yang, a postgraduate student majoring in automation, experienced the two-minute ride at an average speed of 30km/h and is concerned about whether the technology will function well in Beijing.
"Beijing has too many pedestrians and we see a lot of sudden crossing movements in the paths, so I'm pretty concerned. (The driverless taxis) may have wide applications in second or third tier cities," says Zhang.
Baidu, known for its search engines, has been testing autonomous driving on the open road since last year. Its Apollo Go robotaxi service has carried more than 210,000 passengers in three cities across China and aims to expand to 30 cities in the next three years, the company said in a press release.
Jia says based on a driving automation system, Baidu is at level 4, meaning the car can travel in a restricted area but needs human interaction in emergencies, while the highest level 5 doesn't require a driver.
"Intelligent cars are not enough (to realize L5 full driving automation). It needs Cooperative Vehicle Infrastructure System or V to X. The full driving automation needs everything to be connected. I think the current RoboTaxi is more of a display of technology to demonstrate that we are getting closer in achieving full driving automation. It has more symbolic significance."
The Shougang park is a former site of iron and steel plants that's been redeveloped into a sightseeing destination and a future venue for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Baidu says its driverless service is expected to transport athletes and visitors at the games by then.
In addition to Baidu, other Chinese tech companies such as Huawei have also begun seeking growth in the autonomous driving field.
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