Tesla's soon-to-be-unveiled robotaxi may already be lagging behind its Chinese competition

But Tesla is already lagging behind the robotaxi competition — much of which is based in China, one of the US automaker's most important markets. A number of Chinese startups and tech companies are already testing fleets of self-driving cars in cities like Guangzhou, Wuhan and Beijing, with the blessing of city governments.

Guangzhou-based WeRide, founded in 2017, already has commercial operations in China. Fellow autonomous vehicle startup Pony.ai, which has Toyota as one of its backers, has permits to operate commercial robotoxies in major Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Big tech companies are also getting involved. Internet giant Baidu, through its Apollo Go service, offers fully driverless rides in the cities of Wuhan, Beijing, Chongqing and Shenzhen. The company also offers self-driving cars with safety drivers at other locations.

According to Baidu's latest earnings report, the service delivered nearly 900,000 rides in the second quarter of 2024, a 26% year-over-year increase.

Chinese robotaxi providers are also exploring taking their models overseas.

WeRide has permission to operate its robotaxis in the UAE from early 2023. Last month, the startup announced a partnership with Uber, with the ride-hailing app agreeing to offer WeRide's robotaxis service on its platform. The partnership will launch later this year.

The company also has permission to test a robobus in Singapore.

Baidu is in talks with foreign automakers and ride-sharing platforms to bring its services overseas, Nikkei Asia The report cited sources familiar with the matter. D The Wall Street Journal Also reported that Baidu hopes to deploy Apollo Go in Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East. Baidu responded immediately of fate Request for comments.

Pony.ai is also said to be exploring markets in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East to launch its robotaxi service.

Pony.ai already has a memorandum of understanding with ComfortDelGro, a leading transportation operator in Singapore. Comfortdelgro CEO Cheng Siak Qian said at the signing of the memorandum of understanding in July that the partnership would allow the two parties to explore large-scale commercial robotaxi operations in China and later in Comfortdelgro's core international markets.

Chinese startups are testing their robotics in the United States, particularly in the state of California, where companies have a dedicated project to test robotics on the streets.

California issued WeRide a permit in August that will allow its test vehicles to ferry passengers with or without a driver for three years. WeRide shall not be permitted to offer rides to the general public or charge any fees.

Tesla self-driving in China

Beijing has reportedly given Tesla provisional approval to launch its fully self-driving assisted driving service in China, following Musk's surprise visit to the country in April.

Weeks after the visit, state media reported that Musk had asked Beijing to ask Tesla to test driver-assistance software on its robotaxis, possibly in the city of Shanghai, home to one of Tesla's gigafactories.

Tesla has announced that it plans to launch fully self-driving in China in the first quarter of 2025.

According to data from the China Passenger Car Association, US car companies' sales of China-made EVs rose 19.2% in September, compared with the same month a year earlier.