The Apolong (), sometimes referred to as the Baidu Apollo project, is a
driverless vehicle developed by
Baidu
Baidu, Inc. ( ; , meaning "hundred times") is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products and artificial intelligence (AI), headquartered in Beijing's Haidian District. It is one of the la ...
, Kinglong and a consortium of more than 40 companies.
The Level 4 microcirculation Apolong bus commenced mass production in 2017.
It is manufactured by a consortium consisting of Baidu, Kinglong and SB Drive (a subsidiary of
Softbank
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo which focuses on investment management. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in technology, energy, and financial sectors. It also runs the ...
). The driverless bus does not have a steering wheel, accelerator or brake, travels at speeds of 20 to 40 km/h and is able to sense and predict movement of pedestrians and vehicles in its vicinity.
It uses Apollo 3.0, Baidu's open source driverless operating platform.
The name ''Apollo'' is an English version of the Chinese name for the bus "Apolong".
History
In 2013, Baidu commenced development of autonomous driverless vehicles, through the baidu research institute. This project gradually expanded to including 10,000 developers working on an open platform, and more than 50 partners across the world, including
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
,
BMW,
Benz, Kinglong and
XTE. On 5 July 2017, Bloomberg reported that Baidu had negotiated 50 partners to sign in for the development and purchase of the new unmanned buses.
In 2017, China Daily reported that four Apolong buses were planned for test rides on two bus routes in
Shenzhen
Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
. In August 2017, an early version of the autonomous vehicle was unveiled at GoMentum, USA. In July 2018, at Baidu Createfest 2018 held in Beijing, Baidu and King Long unveiled the latest version of Apolong. They announced plans of using these buses in specific regions of
Wuhan
Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...
,
Xiamen
Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...
,
Shenzhen
Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
,
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
Wuhan
Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...
and Pingtan. In July 2018, China org reported that test drives had been carried out in
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
and Fujian.
In July 2018,
Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
and New Atlas reported that the buses had commenced mass production as the 100th Apolong bus was rolled out.
The bus was first opened to an international audience in November 2018 at the
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
World Expo, where 1600 participants from 72 countries were ushered to the venue in Apolong buses.
Specifications
Apolong buses can carry 14 people (8 seated and 6 standing), are guided through cloud technology, have a wheel span of 4.3 metres, are SAE level 4 capable. It uses the Kunlun microchip developed by Baidu.
Production locations
As of November 2018, Apolong buses are assembled in Kinglong's manufacturing premises in
Xiamen
Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...
,
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
.
See also
*
Vehicular automation#Shared autonomous vehicles
References
{{reflist, 30em
External links
Official website – Apollo self driving cars and buses
2010s cars
Self-driving cars