Baidu, Inc, one of China's leading AI (artificial intelligence) firms and the country's largest search engine, will soon launch an autonomous bus service in several Chinese cities using "Apolong," an AI-controlled and driverless mini-bus that can seat 14 people.
Baidu plans to launch the self-driving service in Beijing, Shenzhen, Pingtan, Wuhan, and a few other cities within the year. Apolong will first service the riding public in airports, tourist destinations, and special "geo-fenced areas" where they can be better controlled.
These buses are operated by Baidu's "Apollo" autonomous driving system, one of the world's more advanced autonomous driving and AI programs, and the end-product of the ambitious Apollo Project. Apollo is capable of what is called "Level 4 operations," an international standard where an autonomous vehicle is smart enough to take-over driving functions under certain conditions.
"2018 marks the first year of commercialization for autonomous driving. From the volume production of Apolong, we can truly see that autonomous driving is making great strides, taking the industry from zero to one," said Chairman and CEO Robin Li during his keynote address at ceremonies where the 100th Apolong mini-bus rolled- off of the production line.
It's worth noting that Baidu doesn't make a physical motor vehicle. It only develops the software that runs these self-driving vehicles. Baidu's long-term goal is to launch a driverless service in Japan. The company is also the second largest search engine in the world after Google.
The Apolong buses are manufactured by King Long United Automotive Industry Co, Ltd, a leading bus maker based in Xiamen, Fujian.
Baidu is now developing Apollo 3.0, the latest upgrade to the Apollo platform. Apollo 3.0 will allow operators to deploy masses of self-driving vehicles at the same time, instead of only one or two.
