Baidu’s Apollo gets green light to test AD cars in Beijing without on-board safety driver

Testing base of Apollo Park in Yizhuang in Beijing, China, for autonomous driving and V2X (vehicle-to-everything). — Handout/South China Morning Post

Apollo, Baidu’s autonomous driving (AD) unit, has been granted five licences by authorities in Beijing to test five autonomous cars in designated areas within China’s capital city, without an on-board safety driver.

The development comes after Beijing’s municipal government last month revised regulations for the testing of AD vehicles, giving more scope for companies to replace on-board safety drivers with a remote person.