Baidu’s robotaxi service Apollo Go has been granted permission to test in Hong Kong, expanding its operations beyond China’s mainland.
The Hong Kong Transport Department stated Monday that the first pilot license for autonomous vehicles had been obtained, allowing the applicant to test 10 robotaxis on North Lantau.
The applicant’s identity was not mentioned in the declaration, but another document identified it as Baidu Apollo International Ltd, the operator of the Apollo Go service platform.
The license is valid from December 9, 2024 to December 8, 2029, and during the first phase, only one autonomous private automobile can be driven on authorized roads at a time.
During the trial time, a backup operator will take over control of the vehicle as needed.
The Hong Kong government has been supporting autonomous vehicles since 2017, but expanded trials of such vehicles on public roads were not permitted until March of this year, when new regulatory legislation was introduced.
This is the first pilot license issued by the Hong Kong government since the new regulatory regime was implemented, and it is also the first time Baidu has been granted an autonomous car test authorization outside of China.
According to a November 25 report by Hong Kong media outlet TVB, Baidu applied for an autonomous vehicle test license last month. Apollo Go is anticipated to begin testing at the airport before the end of this year.
Baidu, which debuted self-driving technology in 2013, was one of the first Chinese businesses to enter the market.
Apollo Go is currently available in more than ten cities across the Chinese mainland.
On May 15, Baidu introduced its sixth-generation robotaxi, priced at 200,000 yuan ($27,610), a 60% decrease from the previous model.
These cars will join Apollo Go’s robotaxi fleet, which expects to deploy 1,000 sixth-generation robotaxis in Wuhan, Hubei province, by the end of 2024, according to Baidu in May.
