China allows robotaxis without operators in Shanghai
Summary
China has added Shanghai to a list of cities allowing the use of driverless robotaxis in which no safety supervisors are present, part of efforts to take the global lead in autonomous driving and commercialize the technology.China has added Shanghai to a list of top-tier cities allowing the use of driverless robotaxis in which no safety supervisors are present, part of the country’s efforts to take the global lead in autonomous driving and commercialize the technology.
Shanghai officials said over the weekend that in parts of the city, residents can now book free rides in robotaxis of four companies—internet search giant Baidu, SAIC Motor-owned Saike Technology and self-driving startups Pony.ai and Auto X.
The taxis are driverless and don’t have supervisors physically present in the car, with the companies approved to offer services through Jan. 4. The testing area covers 205 kilometers of roads in Shanghai’s Pudong district, Pony.ai said in a WeChat post.
Shanghai’s move follows similar initiatives in three other major Chinese cities since late 2022 to allow trial runs of robotaxis without safety operators. Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou have all started charging fees for the use of robotaxis in some cases, a step further in commercializing auto-driving in a country where dozens of companies are working on refining the technology and applying it on Chinese roads.
China’s first testing of robotaxis without safety operators started in the cities of Wuhan and Chongqing in August 2022.
“It may still take longer to see large-scale commercialization of robotaxis in China, but approval [from major cities] is an important step in granting these companies access to test their technology and access road data," said Angus Chan, an auto analyst at Bocom International.
CCB International analyst Qu Ke said China’s autonomous-driving industry is racing to compete against top players in the United States. Tesla is planning to launch robotaxi services in August, while Alphabet-backed Waymo recently expanded services in San Francisco.
“Tesla and Waymo have conducted massive trials on the [U.S.] West coast," Qu said, adding that “China can’t be inactive and wait when U.S. companies have already made their move."
“That’s why we’re seeing more cities [in China] opening up their roads," he said.
Write to Jiahui Huang at Jiahui.Huang@wsj.com
