Robotaxis in China Are Replacing the Steering Wheel With a Vending Machine

pcmag.com:

Baidu, which is basically China's version of Google, has unveiled a new autonomous vehicle (AV) that offers the steering wheel as an optional extra.

As Auto Futures reports(Opens in a new window), this is Baidu's latest iteration of an AV, which it calls the Apollo RT6(Opens in a new window). The new vehicle is expected to carry a price tag of roughly $37,000, and that's a huge cost reduction compared to the previous AV model Baidu sold which was priced at $71,000, according to Reuters(Opens in a new window).

Traveling in a car that doesn't have a steering wheel may be disconcerting for some passengers, but Baidu managed to achieve Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities using 36 sensors, including 12 cameras and eight LIDARs. It's considered fully-autonomous, but usually Level 4 vehicles allow a human to request control.

Baidu's intention is to introduce this AV as a cheap, autonomous taxi next year across China using its Apollo Go autonomous ride-hailing service. The extra space inside the vehicle created by removing the steering wheel will be used for a vending machine, games console, desk area, or extra seating. I suspect the vending machine will work best for generating additional income during taxi rides, though.

Speaking at the Baidu World conference(Opens in a new window), the company's chief executive Robin Li said, "This massive cost reduction will enable us to deploy tens of thousands of AVs across China ... We are moving towards a future where taking a robotaxi will be half the cost of taking a taxi today."

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