Chinese startup WeRide will launch its first self-driving commercial taxi in Guangzhou and Anqing in July this year. The company has been testing the new service since last year, and its partners are local automotive giants, including the Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC Group).
Currently, the fleet of WeRide self-driving cars has 50 units, but by the end of this year it is planned to double it, and next year to increase it to 500 units. The main car of the service will be the Nissan Leaf electric car.
However, while the project is still in the early stages of development, and WeRide President Lu Qing admits that the Chinese startup is about half a year behind its American βcolleaguesβ Waymo, Lyft and Uber, whose self-driving cars have already passed dozens of public roads. million miles. At the same time, he expresses confidence that it will be possible to close this gap in just six months.
However, some experts do not share Lu Qing's optimism. For example, Fady Yacoub, co-founder of investment company HOF Capital, believes that newcomers have little chance of outperforming large existing players in this segment. In order to be competitive in this market and not be absorbed sooner or later, it is necessary to own intellectual property, and not just accumulated data for training artificial intelligence.
WeRide itself is confident in its success and chose China as a βlaunching padβ for a reason. The fact is that the company was founded in Silicon Valley, and moved to the Middle Kingdom due to the fact that, in its opinion, it has more opportunities for development there. Thanks to government support, self-driving vehicles are allowed to go almost anywhere, and hiring a driver to teach "smart" electronics is ten times cheaper in Guangzhou or Anqing than in San Francisco. WeRide has a staff of 200 engineers, of which about 50 have advanced degrees.
Already in July, WeRide will launch a smartphone app that will show you where you can get a self-driving taxi. At first, the routes will be limited to popular places, such as shopping centers in the city center. In addition, a driver will be present in the car to take control if necessary. It is planned to refuse drivers in two years. Payment for trips is assumed only non-cash - through payment systems and from bank cards. Fares will be the same as in regular taxis.
Source: 3dnews.ru