A Didi Chuxing autonomous taxi during a pilot test drive on the streets in Shanghai July 22, 2020. — AFP pic
But as China challenges US tech dominance, Chinese players such as Baidu, Alibaba-backed AutoX and ride-sharing king DiDi Chuxing recently launched autonomous taxi pilot projects in cities around the country. Chinese consumers — known for eagerly embracing e-commerce, online payments and other digital solutions — are lining up for a spin in DiDi Chuxing's self-developed autonomous taxis at a Shanghai pilot project launched in June.
But Meng Xing, chief operating officer of DiDi's autonomous driving company, told AFP its AI system “is already smart enough to handle most of the situations,” and safety drivers almost never need to touch the steering wheel or brakes. But Xiao of AutoX expects a “sizeable” deployment of the vehicles — without safety drivers — could take place in two to three years, with regulations and technology being the main obstacles.