Baidu Plans to Mass Produce Autonomous Cars in Five Years
June 03 2016 - 12:00AM
Dow Jones News
HONG KONG—Chinese search-engine giant Baidu Inc. Senior Vice
President Wang Jing said Friday that the company plans to mass
produce a driverless car in five years.
Baidu, which is China's largest search-company with 80% market
share, is already testing its model on public roads in Beijing and
in Wuhu, in China's southeastern Anhui province, and in a closed
testing area in Shanghai. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal's
Converge technology conference, Mr. Wang said he hopes Baidu's car
can be tested in 10 cities across China to experience different
weather, road and traffic conditions.
Mr. Wang added that the race to make self-driving cars is a big
enough space for both Baidu and Google parent Alphabet Inc.
"The market right now is very early so it's big enough for many
players," Mr. Wang said. "I don't think anyone can dominate this
area."
Details of how self-driving cars will communicate with other
cars on the road—with both human and robotic drivers—are still
being hammered out, Mr. Wang said, adding, "I don't think right now
self-driving cars can handle a policeman waving to you."
Still, he said the biggest benefit for automated cars in China
will be to improve safety and increase ride sharing. Mr. Wang said
93% of accidents in China are currently caused by human error, and
that Baidu is open to partnering with ride-sharing companies. Baidu
already has invested in Uber Inc. and Uber China, but wouldn't
dismiss working with Uber's homegrown rival in China, Didi Chuxing,
formerly known as Didi Kuaidi.
One of the biggest hurdles for automated cars is policies and
laws that lag behind the technology. Mr. Wang said he hopes China
will follow suit in revising laws, and that countries will
gradually change their infrastructure to accommodate automated
vehicles.
"It won't happen overnight," he said, adding that he hopes Baidu
can launch its car in multiple countries simultaneously.
When it comes to style, Mr. Wang said the first batch of
self-driving cars will still have steering wheels—even though they
don't really have too—in case people want to "drive for fun."
Write to Alyssa Abkowitz at alyssa.abkowitz@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 02, 2016 23:45 ET (03:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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