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(Bloomberg) China is shaping up to be the first real test of Big Tech’s ambitions in the world of carmaking, with giants from Huawei Technologies Co. to Baidu Inc. plowing almost $19 billion into electric and self-driving vehicle ventures widely seen as the future of transport.
While Apple Inc. has long had plans for its own car and Alphabet Inc. has Waymo, its autonomous driving unit, the size and speed of the move by China’s tech titans puts them at the vanguard of that broader push. The lure is an industry that’s becoming increasingly high tech as it pivots away from the combustion engine, with sensors and operating systems making cars more like computers, and the prospect of autonomy re-envisioning how people use will them.
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Users can hire an Apollo Robotaxi through the Apollo Go App.
Alibaba-backed AutoX is ramping up its autonomous taxi plans.
On Thursday, China’s technology giant Baidu has announced that it is launching paid driverless robotaxi services in Beijing from May 2. Technology firms across the world are working on their driverless cars, and Baidu’s robotaxi launch will make it one of the first companies globally to offer autonomous driving service.
Baidu has named its driverless taxi, Apollo Robotaxi. It will be launched in Beijing’s Shougang Park. The company said that there won’t be a safety driver behind the steering wheel, signalling its confidence in its driverless technology.