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
