Robotax car without a steering wheel + photo

According to the online economy report, quoted from Ferraro; Chinese technology company Baidu has unveiled plans for an electric self-driving car with a removable steering wheel, another step forward in the race for speedy robot taxis in China.

As reported by CNN, Chinese technology giant Baidu unveiled its sixth-generation Apollo RT6 self-driving car at its annual conference on Thursday as China’s answer to Google.

Baidu’s “Apollo Go” transportation service is currently operating in 10 cities in China. The new car will be released through that program next year. One of that company’s executives said that once the regulator gives the green light, the Apollo RT6’s detachable steering wheel can be legally removed. Baidu touts its new design as a way to free up space for things like “extra seats, desktops, or game consoles.”

The company has announced that its new self-driving car has significantly reduced production costs by about half compared to previous versions. Those cost savings will be passed on to passengers, according to Baidu CEO Robin Li, as the company prepares to introduce the cars to its existing robotaxi fleet across China.

He said in a statement: “We are moving towards a future where a ride in a robotaxi will cost half the price of a taxi ride today. This huge cost reduction will enable us to deploy and activate tens of thousands of self-driving cars across China.”

Baidu earned its reputation as a massive search engine provider, but it has long invested in self-driving technology in the world’s biggest car market.

That company, along with another Chinese self-driving startup, announced in April that it would allow citizens in certain areas to book self-driving taxis. Other companies have already demonstrated self-driving cars, including General Motors, Honda, Google and Mercedes-Benz.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, said in April that the car company plans to start mass production of its robot taxi without a steering wheel or pedals in 2024.