Chinese tech giant Baidu has set out plans to deploy robotaxis in 100 cities by 2030.
Baidu’s first target is to cover 65 cities by 2025, followed by a further 35 cities by 2030.
The roadmap was unveiled by CEO and Co-Founder Robin Li during Baidu’s Q4 2021 earnings call.
Revenues from Baidu Core increased 21 percent year-over-year in 2021, driven by a 71 percent increase in non-advertising revenue–showing the company is finding success away from its large ad business.
“Revenues from smart transportation have been growing rapidly and more than doubled in 2021 versus the prior year,” said Li.
Baidu clearly wants to build on its momentum with the ramping up of its robotaxi business.
“In intelligent driving. Apollo Go continued to take big steps toward scalable operation of its autonomous ride-hailing services,” continued Li.
“We believe that large-scale operation allows us to identify the problems that are not visible during the testing stage and also push ‘Level Four’ autonomous driving technology advancement.”
Li goes on to note that Apollo Go provided 213,000 rides and continues to almost double the number of rides it provides quarter-over-quarter.
Li believes the service “will gain further traction as more automakers recognise that partnering with Baidu is better than investing extensively in developing their in-house solution.”
Apollo Go is currently available in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Changsha, Cangzhou, and Yangquan.
(Image Credit: Baidu)
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