Uber Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dara Khosrowshahi proudly claimed that the partnership will bring together two of the most influential tech innovators to reshape the future of transportation.
Uber and Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc. have announced a strategic multi-year agreement to launch autonomous robotaxi services outside the United States and mainland China, with launch later this year in Asia and the Middle East (including cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi).
Under the new partnership, Uber users can book driverless rides through the Uber app powered by Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles. When it goes live, qualified passengers can choose to ride in an autonomous car for their trip.
As of May, Apollo Go is the world’s largest autonomous ride-hailing network. It has completed over 11 million public rides and has 1000 driverless cars operating in 15 locations globally. It is a leader in commercial AV deployment due to its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) driving systems and safety record.
Commercial AV (Audio/Visual) deployment means installing AV systems in commercial spaces, including offices, retail spaces, and restaurants.
Robin Li, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Baidu, said this partnership is a significant step towards bringing autonomous driving technology to a global stage. Their goal of partnering with Uber is to provide users worldwide with safe, effective, and reasonably priced mobility.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi proudly claimed that the partnership will bring together two of the most influential tech innovators to reshape the future of transportation. Uber is well-positioned to help Baidu expand its markets in AV technology, being the biggest global mobility platform.
This partnership will benefit both companies. Baidu will expand its AV presence outside of China, and Uber can come one step closer to integrating autonomous cars into its worldwide network, providing more flexible and affordable transportation alternatives.
Both companies aim to progressively expand their scale by partnering up with local authorities and transport organisations as regulatory permissions and trial projects start. They will give more deployment details in the upcoming months.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, the chief executive of electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors, said that the company is introducing its robotaxis to Saudi Arabia, which will enhance the Kingdom’s technological and economic landscapes.
He stated that at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, it is very exciting to have autonomous cars in the Kingdom. But he did not mention a date for launching the future vehicles, also known as Cybercab.
The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, boasted about the economic possibilities of having advanced robotics in the Kingdom. He also announced that there will be humanoids called Tesla Optimus robots that will increase productivity.
He predicted that robotics would unlock a vast amount of economic potential, predicting an economy ten or even more times larger than the current size.
He also promoted his tunnel drilling company, The Boring Company, and stated that tunnels would help Saudi Arabia by reducing traffic.
He claimed that Boring’s proof of concept in Las Vegas feels like “teleporting” and that one can “build a wormhole from one area of the city to another and escape traffic.”
However, Tesla is behind in the robotaxi competition, which is dominated by China(one of the US automakers’ most significant markets).
Many Chinese tech startups and companies are already testing fleets of self-driving cars in places like Beijing, Wuhan, and Guangzhou with the approval of the local governments.
WeRide, a 2017 startup based in Guangzhou, is already operating in China. Toyota is a sponsor of another autonomous car company, Pony.ai. It contains licenses to run commercial robo-taxis in Shenzhen and Shanghai, two significant Chinese cities.