Uber and Baidu Announce Massive Global Autonomous Vehicle Partnership
Uber and Chinese tech giant Baidu will launch Apollo Go driverless vehicles through the Uber app in Asia and the Middle East; the U.S. market is currently excluded.
Uber and Chinese technology giant Baidu have joined forces to expand autonomous vehicles globally. The two companies plan to make Baidu’s driverless vehicles, known as Apollo Go, available through the Uber platform in regions such as Asia and the Middle East, primarily starting with mainland China.
First Stops: Asia and the Middle East
The initial joint deployments are expected to begin in Asia and the Middle East later this year. Once the system is live, Uber users in certain regions will have the option to take their rides in an Apollo Go vehicle.
The companies emphasized that this collaboration will offer more affordable ride alternatives in additional regions and integrate Baidu’s advanced autonomous driving technology with Uber’s extensive user network.
This development follows Baidu’s announcement in May regarding its expansion into Europe. The company currently operates over 1,000 fully driverless vehicles in 15 cities, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Apollo Go was first launched in Chinese cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai in 2022.
Focus on Non-U.S. Markets
This collaboration currently does not include the U.S. market. Recent reports indicate that Chinese companies have suspended their plans to operate in the U.S. due to increasing scrutiny and regulations in that market. Furthermore, the autonomous vehicle race in the U.S. is already highly competitive. Major firms such as Google subsidiary Waymo, former Yandex subsidiary Avride, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle company Zoox, and most recently Tesla are active in this field.
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