It seems there was quite a hiccup with the robot taxis.
A malfunction caused a Chinese robot taxi to suddenly stop in Wuhan, leaving passengers stuck in traffic. Over 100 Apollo Go robot taxis, managed by Baidu, halted on a busy highway Tuesday night after a “system failure,” according to an initial investigation by local police. Reports indicated at least one accident was linked to this incident.
One passenger recounted to the media that the self-driving taxi froze while making a turn, and a message on the screen indicated a “Propulsion system failure.” That’s when it promised help would arrive in five minutes.
As it turned out, no assistance came. Stranded passengers had to exit the vehicle on their own. Some managed to leave safely, but others hesitated, worried about the fast-moving traffic on the ring road.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and several individuals were ultimately rescued.
This is the first major shutdown of robotaxis in China. While Baidu hasn’t provided an official explanation for the failure, experts speculate it could stem from various issues, like connectivity or software glitches. The AutoRide system relies heavily on stable communication with its server for navigation, so a minor glitch can bring everything to a standstill.
This incident comes at a tricky time for Baidu, which has been making strides in the self-driving taxi sector, operating over 1,000 vehicles in various Chinese cities. Plans are already in the works for expansions into Abu Dhabi, Dubai, the UK, and Switzerland.
China tends to be stricter regarding self-driving vehicles compared to the U.S., and experts believe this outage might prompt even tighter regulations.
While China’s robotaxi scene has faced hurdles before, this event marks one of the most extensive stopping points. Earlier incidents include a vehicle falling onto a construction site and another catching fire.
Accidents aren’t confined to China either. Last December, Waymo’s self-driving cars faced trouble in San Francisco during a citywide power outage.
Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into Waymo’s self-driving rides due to traffic safety violations related to school buses. Throughout the summer, Waymo conducted trials in New York City with a human driver present, yet these faced criticism due to the city’s cramped conditions and numerous obstacles.
Just last month, New York’s Governor paused plans for expansion in upstate regions after facing backlash from professional drivers and labor groups. A spokesperson mentioned that discussions with stakeholders indicated a lack of support for moving forward.
