- Apollo RT6 is purposefully designed for fully autonomous
driving, with a detachable steering wheel unlocking space for a
more versatile in-car experience.
- With a dramatically lowered production cost of 250,000 RMB per unit, Apollo RT6 is set to join
the Apollo Go ride-hailing service starting in 2023, expanding
consistently to reach tens of thousands of units.
- The model, with L4 autonomous driving capability, features 1200
TOPS of computing power and robust sensor architecture for complex
urban environments.
BEIJING, July 20,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Baidu,
Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888) ("Baidu" or the
"Company"), a leading AI company with strong internet foundation,
today unveiled its next-generation fully autonomous vehicle (AV)
Apollo RT6, an all-electric, production-ready model with a detachable steering wheel.
Designed for complex urban environments, Apollo RT6 will be put
into operation in China in 2023 on
Apollo Go, Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing service. With a per unit
cost of RMB 250,000 (~$37,000), the arrival of Apollo RT6 is set to
accelerate AV deployment at scale, bringing the world closer to a
future of driverless shared mobility.
"This massive cost reduction will enable us to deploy tens of
thousands of AVs across China. We
are moving towards a future where taking a robotaxi will be half
the cost of taking a taxi today," said Robin Li, Co-founder and CEO of Baidu, at Baidu
World 2022, the company's flagship technology conference.
As Baidu's 6th generation AV, Apollo RT6 is distinct
from previous generations that were otherwise retrofitted on
conventional vehicles. The steering wheel-free design unleashes
more space to craft unique interiors, allowing for the installation
of extra seating, vending machines, desktops, or gaming consoles.
At 4760mm long with a wheelbase of 2830mm, the rider-first Apollo
RT6 delivers comfort with independent rear seating, ample rear
legroom of 1050mm, a purely flat floor and an intelligent
interaction system. The Apollo RT6 exterior features a
revolutionary look that seamlessly integrates sensors on the
sunroof alongside interactive lights and intelligent electric
sliding doors to further enhance the riding experience.
Apollo RT6 integrates Baidu's most advanced L4 autonomous
driving system, powered by automotive-grade dual computing units
with a computing power of up to 1200 TOPS. The vehicle utilizes 38
sensors, including 8 LiDARs and 12 cameras, to obtain highly
accurate, long-range detection on all sides. The safety and
reliability of Apollo RT6 are backed by a massive trove of
real-world data, a total test mileage of over 32 million kilometers
(~20 million miles) driven by Baidu's AV to date.
Speaking at Baidu World 2022, Zhenyu
Li, senior corporate vice president of Baidu and general
manager of Intelligent Driving Group (IDG), said the autonomous
driving capability of Apollo RT6 is equivalent to a skilled driver
with 20 years of experience.
Apollo RT6 is the first vehicle model built on Xinghe, Baidu's
self-developed automotive E/E architecture specially for fully
autonomous driving. The vehicle is 100% automotive-grade and has
full redundancy throughout both hardware and autonomous driving
software.
The creation of Apollo RT6 marks another milestone for Baidu to
achieve its goal of providing safer, greener and more efficient
mobility solutions. As the world's largest robotaxi service
provider, Apollo Go has expanded to 10 cities
in China since its launch in 2020, including all
first-tier cities, and provided more than 1 million
orders.
About Baidu
Founded in 2000, Baidu's mission is to make the complicated
world simpler through technology. Baidu is a leading AI company
with strong Internet foundation, trading on the NASDAQ under "BIDU"
and HKEX under "9888." One Baidu ADS represents eight Class A
ordinary shares.
Media Contact
Intlcomm@baidu.com
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SOURCE Baidu, Inc.