Baidu starts mass production of it’s fully autonomous bus
The faster autonomous vehicles hit the roads the faster the transportation industry's going to flip, and it's clear that there are companies that want it to happen sooner rather than later.
Key takeaways
- Chinese tech and internet giant Baidu has begun volume production of China’s first commercially employed self-driving bus.
- Powered by Apollo 3.0, the latest version of Baidu's open autonomous driving platform, the minibus is co-produced by Baidu itself and Chinese manufacturer King Long.
- Apolong will soon be pressed into commercial use in enclosed areas such as tourist spots and airports in several cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xiongan.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2018) 'Baidu starts mass production of it’s fully autonomous bus', 311 Institute, 17 July. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/baidu-starts-mass-production-of-its-fully-autonomous-bus/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Chinese tech and internet giant Baidu has begun volume production of China’s first commercially employed self-driving bus. The company said it would soon be rolled out in tourist spots and airports.
Baidu Chief Executive Robin Lee watched the 100th “Apolong” autonomous vehicle roll off a production line in the southeastern city of Xiamen on Wednesday.
"2018 marks the first year of commercialization for autonomous driving in China," he said. "From the mass production of Apolong, we can truly see that autonomous driving is making great strides, taking the industry from zero to one," Li added.
The 14 seater Apolong, about one third of the size of a normal bus, has no steering wheel, driver's seat, accelerator or brake, which makes it more advanced than the self-driving bus that’s been cruising around the Las Vegas strip for the past few months.
Powered by Apollo 3.0, the latest version of Baidu's open autonomous driving platform, the minibus is co-produced by Baidu itself and Chinese manufacturer King Long.
Apolong will soon be pressed into commercial use in enclosed areas such as tourist spots and airports in several cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xiongan.
Early next year, Apolong buses are set to enter Japan's self-driving market as shuttle buses at nuclear power stations and in Tokyo to ferry around elderly people in local communities.
Baidu, who are sometimes described as “China’s Google” operates China's leading search engine, but also invests heavily in services ranging from online payment to connected devices and Artificial Intelligence (AI) used in autonomous cars and beyond.
"In the past, China exported cheap commodities to the world," Robin Li said. "In the future, Chine will export AI technology."
That said though Google, who also have an eye on the self-driving sector and who just started their own Waymo branded self-driving service in Texas, and who just placed orders for another 62,000 vehicles, might try to give them a run for their money, so it’ll be interesting watch these two giants going head to head in the years to come.
What this means for your organisation
Controlled environments come first.
Deployment is in enclosed areas such as airports and tourist sites. Firms with campuses, ports or sites have the easiest route to autonomy.
No manual controls at all.
Removing the steering wheel, pedals and driver's seat changes vehicle design and cost. It also removes the fallback of a human driver.
Export is the intent.
Robin Li says China will export AI technology rather than cheap commodities, with these buses heading to Japan. Buyers should expect Chinese suppliers in this market.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Do we have enclosed sites where autonomy would work today?
- What would we do without a human fallback driver?
- Which suppliers would we buy autonomous vehicles from?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
The faster autonomous vehicles hit the roads the faster the transportation industry's going to flip, and it's clear that there are companies that want it to happen sooner rather than later.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- first year of commercialization for autonomous driving in China dw.com
- King Long kinglonguk.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 17 July 2018. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2018). Baidu starts mass production of it’s fully autonomous bus. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/baidu-starts-mass-production-of-its-fully-autonomous-bus/
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