Over the past three years, Beijing, China has made significant strides in allowing robotaxis to operate closer to the city center. A recent development includes testing robotaxis with human staff inside to run a route between a major high-speed train station and a suburban area to the south of Beijing. This marks a major expansion of robotaxi operations from the outskirts of the city towards the city center.
The route between Beijing South Railway Station and the Yizhuang suburb, which is set to open as a public-facing robotaxi service, indicates a shift in the perception that Beijing would not allow robotaxis past the fifth ring road. The willingness of Beijing to make such a move is seen as a significant progress and a potential showcase for the entire country of China.
According to Ning Zhang, vice president at Pony.ai, by the end of this year or early next year, the train station route is expected to be fully driverless, with no human staff inside. The company anticipates expanding robotaxi operations around Beijing Capital International Airport to the north by the end of the year. The goal is to eventually cover the city’s other railway stations and operate between the sixth and fourth ring roads regardless of city district.
Pony.ai is working with Toyota to mass produce the cars needed for the expansion of its robotaxi fleet in Beijing. By the end of this year, the company expects more than 50 fully driverless taxis to be in operation, with plans to scale up to 1,000 vehicles by the end of 2025. Zhang believes that once there are 500 to 1,000 robotaxis in one city, the operation can break even, leading to exponential business growth in the future.
The pace of regulatory support will play a crucial role in the future expansion of robotaxi services in Beijing. Zhang anticipates that within three to five years, the city will allow robotaxis to operate throughout the entire city. Meanwhile, global interest in robotaxis has been growing, with companies like Alphabet’s Waymo and Tesla entering the market.
While competition among Chinese robotaxi operators is expected to increase in the future, current players like Baidu’s Apollo Go have been seeing growth in their operations. Baidu reported a significant increase in the number of rides in the first quarter, with CEO Robin Li expressing optimism about narrowing losses in the robotaxi business for the rest of the year.
Overall, the rapid expansion of robotaxi services in Beijing indicates a shift towards autonomous transportation and sets the stage for further growth and innovation in the industry. As regulatory support and technological advancements continue to evolve, the future looks promising for the development of robotaxi services in the city and beyond.
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