Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, and Substack.
In today’s episode, I am speaking with Helen K. Pan, General Manager of Apollo Autonomous Driving USA, Baidu's Self-Driving Division. We talk about Helen’s journey since joining Baidu's Intelligent Driving Group in 2017, and get an inside look at Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service. She discusses the technology, safety measures, and cost efficiency of Apollo Go's latest generation vehicle, the RT6, which operates in multiple cities globally and costs just $30,000.
We also discuss the dynamics of the Chinese AV market, the company’s global expansion plans, and the unique passenger-centric design of Apollo Go's fleet. We also got into regulatory challenges, market potential, the tech behind their robotaxis, and their current partnership and collaboration efforts.
Chapters
(00:00) Introduction to Helen K. Pan
(01:47) Background on Baidu and Apollo Go
(03:35) Apollo Go operational cities, fleet size and achievements
(08:07) Current landscape of the Chinese autonomous vehicle market
(09:50) Robotaxi market growth potential in China vs. USA
(11:30) Apollo Go ride concentration in operational domains, and comparisons
(14:10) How is the user experience and public reception in China?
(18:45) Apollo Go safety and insurance data
(19:57) Apollo Go superior passenger experience and passenger-centric design
(23:48) Insights on Apollo Go robotaxis’ passenger-centric design and cost efficiency.
(26:27) Manufacturing and development timelines for Apollo robotaxis
(28:16) Apollo robotaxi sensor stack and future price outlook
(30:38) Global expansion plans and market opportunities
(34:14) US expansion plans
(35:37) Innovations with partners and future collaboration
(37:09) Main challenges faced by Apollo Go
(39:57) Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Notes/Links:
* Link to Sophia Tung’s robotaxi video mentioned at (22:01) - I was wrong about Chinese robotaxis... (24h riding ONLY Apollo Go)
- Harry
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thedriverlessdigest.com
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.