China is testing more driverless cars than any other country

Wang Yunpeng, head of Baidu’s autonomous driving unit, at a company event in Wuhan, China, on May 15, 2024. ‘Small scratches and dents are inevitable,’ said Yunpeng, ‘but we have never had any major casualties.’ — The New York Times

WUHAN, China: The world’s largest experiment in driverless cars is underway on the busy streets of Wuhan, a city in central China with 11 million people, 4.5 million cars, eight-lane expressways and towering bridges over the muddy waters of the Yangtze River.

A fleet of 500 taxis navigated by computers, often with no safety drivers in them for backup, buzz around. The company that operates them, tech giant Baidu, said last month that it would add another 1,000 of the so-called robot taxis in Wuhan.