BRIEF: Baidu’s Apollo Go tops global robotaxi market with 14 million rides and global advances

Baidu Inc.’s (BIDU.US; 9888.HK) Apollo Go autonomous ride-hailing service recorded 14 million cumulative rides as of August, the company said last Wednesday. That helped to solidify its position as a leading autonomous ride-hailing platform, with Future Fund LLC Managing Director Gary Black recently calling the company the “world’s autonomous ride-hailing leader.”

Apollo Go provided over 2.2 million fully driveless rides in the June quarter alone, up 148% year-on-year, according to its second quarter report. To date, its fleets have accumulated over 200 million autonomous kilometers with a strong safety record, the company said. By comparison, Google’s Waymo recorded 10 million paid rides as of May and recently announced its autonomous mileage reached 100 million miles.

Apollo Go’s global presence expanded to 16 cities by June, as it expands open-road testing into new areas. In the Middle East, Baidu began open-road testing in designated zones of Dubai and Abu Dhabi in August. In its first right-hand drive market of Hong Kong, the company recently expanded testing to the Tung Chung and Southern District, advancing open node trials in commercial and residential areas.

“Our experience there provides us with valuable insights for entering other right-hand drive markets, strengthening our confidence in scaling Apollo Go globally,” said co-founder and CEO Robin Li during the company’s earnings call last week.

Baidu also entered a multi-year collaboration with Uber in July to deploy thousands of autonomous vehicles in multiple global markets, initially targeting Asia and the Middle East. In August, it announced a similar partnership with Lyft for Europe, starting with Germany and Britain, as it accelerates its drive to deploy its autonomous mobility services globally.

By Doug Young

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