Baidu's Apollo Go hits 20,000km in Hong Kong road tests

Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi service has completed 20,000km of autonomous driving in Hong Kong road tests.

The company has been conducting these trials in Northern Lantau and Tung Chung since receiving the city’s first autonomous vehicle pilot license in November 2024.

The Transport Department has now approved Apollo Go to expand its tests to Cyberport, allowing 10 driverless cars without passengers.

Baidu Apollo International was previously permitted to test 30 autonomous vehicles in Northern Lantau, Tung Chung, and Airport Island.

Baidu is also interested in applying to test vehicles in Kai Tak, but approval will depend on the vehicles’ function and scope.

Hong Kong launched its regulatory regime for autonomous vehicles in March 2024, with other companies such as Kwoon Chung Motors also conducting trials.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Chinese robotaxi companies are outpacing US competitors in commercial deployment

Baidu’s Hong Kong milestone represents part of a broader pattern where Chinese autonomous vehicle companies are scaling faster than their American counterparts.

Apollo Go has completed over 11 million rides since launching, surpassing Waymo’s 10 million rides1. This achievement is particularly notable given that Baidu became China’s first fully driverless commercial operator only in 20221.

The scale difference extends beyond individual companies to entire markets. China’s self-driving taxi market is now valued at approximately $12 billion, surpassing the US market at $8 billion2.

More telling is the deployment scope: over 15 Chinese cities currently allow fully driverless taxis compared to just four cities in the United States2. This regulatory advantage enables Chinese companies to gather real-world data and refine their technology at a significant scale.

The Chinese government’s target of having 100,000 self-driving taxis on roads by 2030 demonstrates the institutional support driving this rapid expansion2.

2️⃣ Hong Kong trials serve as crucial stepping stone for global right-hand drive markets

Baidu’s 20,000-kilometer achievement in Hong Kong represents more than local testing. It is a strategic validation exercise for expanding into lucrative right-hand drive markets worldwide.