Baidu is in talks to launch its self-driving robotaxis in Europe, aiming for Switzerland first, as Chinese technology groups speed up their battle to lead the world in self-driving cars.
Sources familiar with the matter say the Beijing-based group, often called China’s Google, wants to team up with the Swiss Postal Service, with a second launch being planned for Turkey.
Baidu’s autonomous driving unit, Apollo Go, hopes to test its robotaxis on Swiss roads because local officials have shown, in the words of one source, an “open attitude” toward new mobility tech.
For now, Swiss Post says no deal has been signed with Baidu or any other technology supplier. The postal group adds that it is only exploring how future transport needs might change.
Robin Li, Baidu co-founder and chief executive, told investors that 2025 will be “a paramount year” for international growth. He said the company has already picked possible allies among taxi owners and fleet operators and will use an “asset-light” model.
At home, Baidu runs robotaxis in more than ten Chinese cities and a small-scale pilot program in Hong Kong. It is not alone in the plan to expand overseas. In January, Guangzhou-based rival WeRide began trials of its self-driving buses in Valence, France, and at Zurich airport. Pony.ai later won a license to test robotaxis in Luxembourg.
The global robotaxi race also involves the United States’ ride-hailing leader, Uber. Earlier this year, Uber signed agreements with WeRide, Pony.ai, and Momenta to put their robotaxis into its services in Europe and the Middle East.
Self-driving technology is the new battleground for the US and China
Autonomous vehicles have become the new front line between China and the West, which already trails in electric car production. Washington, alarmed by ever more advanced Chinese cars, has raised security flags. Earlier, the Xiaomi SU7 electric car was reported to crash while using assisted-driving features, killing three college students. This led to scrutiny of Xiaomi and Chinese autonomous vehicles, in general.
Last year, the Biden administration proposed banning Chinese-connected car software, citing fears that onboard systems could spy on drivers. In the same mood, the Pentagon put Hesai, China’s largest maker of lidar sensors used by robotaxis, on a list of companies linked to the Chinese military. Hesai, however, rejects the claims.
Inside China, the Ministry of Public Security says pilot zones for autonomous driving now cover 32,000 kilometers of roadway in about 20 cities, including wide robotaxi tests in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Wuhan.
Safety and insurance rules remain a concern, yet analysts at Goldman Sachs predicted this month that by 2030, more than 500,000 robotaxis will be running in big Chinese cities.
They estimate that driverless cabs will jump from under 1 percent of the world’s ride-hailing fleet in 2025 to 9 percent in 2030. In monetary terms, the segment could grow from today’s 54 million dollars to 47 billion dollars a year.
Goldman notes that Baidu, WeRide, and Pony.ai have a head start because making a dependable self-driving system takes large data sets and hard-to-copy algorithms.
Baidu says its Apollo Go cars provided 1.1 million rides in the final three months of last year, 36 percent more than a year earlier, bringing the total number of trips since launch to more than nine million by January.
