Baidu and Pony.ai Allowed to Pilot Robotaxi Commercial Operation in Beijing
On July 20, the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area opened its first commercialization pilot of unmanned travel service in China. Baidu and Pony.ai are the first licensed enterprises to operate within the area.
This means that Baidu and Pony.ai will deploy 30 unmanned vehicles in the 60 square kilometers of core areas in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area to carry out normal charging services.
According to Pony.ai, the Robotaxis will have no drivers in the driver’s seat but with safety monitors sitting on the passenger seats. The charges for the ride will refer to the same rate as Pony.ai’s charging standards for Robotaxis with drivers on board. In rush hours the ride costs 3 yuan/km ($0.44/km) and 2.6 yuan/km ($0.38/km) in off-peak hours. In the early stages of its service, Pony.ai will launch a variety of preferential activities to attract more people to experience unmanned Robotaxi service.
At the same time, the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area revised and improved its previously issued regulations. In view of this commercialization pilot, the area puts forward specific requirements for mileage, order times, feedback, etc.
In April, 2021, the Beijing Self-driving Office issued its first batch of road test licenses for passenger cars, and opened the scene test of automated driving passenger cars in the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area. In November of the same year, the first commercialization pilot of automated driving travel service in China was opened.
SEE ALSO: Baidu Expands Fleet of Driverless Autonomous Vehicles in Beijing
In April this year, the demonstration operation pilot of vehicles without drivers behind the steering wheel was opened for the first time in China. Up until now, the cumulative mileage of unmanned road tests has exceeded 300,000 km, and the cumulative order volume of commercialization pilot of automated driving travel service has exceeded 430,000 person-times. Test operations have so far proven to be of good standing.
