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Baidu, SoftBank Partner on Robotic Buses
Internet giant Baidu Inc. and SoftBank Group’s SB Drive unit are collaborating to begin testing a self-driving bus in Japan by the end of 2018, The Nikkei reports.
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Internet giant Baidu Inc. and SoftBank Group’s SB Drive unit are collaborating to begin testing a self-driving bus in Japan by the end of 2018, The Nikkei reports.
Both companies have been testing their own self-driving technologies in their respective home countries. As partners, they expect to begin evaluating their first jointly developed robo-bus by year-end on a closed course in Japan.
The bus will be a variant of the 14-passenger Apalong minibus Baidu is using to showcase its Apollo operating system in China. The partners will begin more extensive tests in Japan year with a 10-bus fleet, according to The Nikkei.
The buses used by Baidu in China and those to be tested in Japan by Baidu and SB Drive are being supplied by Kiamen, China-based King Long United Automotive Industry.
The two companies will conduct more extensive tests in Japan next year with a 10-bus fleet to be supplied by China’s Xiamen Kin Long United Automotive Industry, according to The Nikkei.
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