Dozens of Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis experienced a sudden standstill in traffic last month, an event that reportedly caused significant concern among authorities in Beijing, as detailed by Bloomberg.
China has consequently suspended the issuance of new licenses for autonomous vehicles, Bloomberg reports, citing individuals familiar with the matter. This decisive action follows an incident last month in Wuhan where numerous robotaxis, operated by Chinese tech giant Baidu, unexpectedly halted in traffic, leading to considerable disruption.
These new restrictions will prevent companies from expanding their fleets with additional driverless cars, launching services in new cities, or commencing new test projects. The timeframe for when officials might resume issuing new licenses is presently undefined.
Bloomberg stated that the Wuhan incident deeply concerned Beijing authorities, prompting regulators to direct local governments to undertake comprehensive reviews of the autonomous vehicle sector to prevent similar occurrences. This marks at least the second time regulators have intervened following an incident involving Baidu. The company’s operations in Wuhan are currently paused while local authorities conduct their investigation into the matter.
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