Chinese regulators have given the green light to more robotaxis operated by online search company Baidu and Toyota-backed Pony.ai in Beijing. A safety supervisor must sit in the car — unlike in California which has granted licenses for fully autonomous cars — but does not need to be behind the wheel as in previous trials.
The 14 cars will be allowed to traverse a 60-sq km zone in the Yizhuang district of the capital from Thursday, as Beijing follows smaller Chinese cities in approving robotaxis.
The decision to grant robotaxi licenses to Baidu and Pony.ai reflects Beijing’s preference for nurturing advanced technology and hardware businesses over ecommerce companies that the government has accused of amassing monopolistic power, said analysts.