On December 20, Baidu Apollo First
Council Meeting was held in Xiongan New Area. Chen Gang, Vice Governor of Hebei
Province, Lu Qi, President& CEO of Baidu, Xie Siyu, President of King Long,
together with a number of other distinguished guests witnessed the historical
moment.
Lu Qi, was elected as the Chairman
of Baidu Apollo First Council. Ten enterprise members of the council will make
joint efforts to map out strategic plans for Apollo and promote autonomous driving
vehicles in urban areas.
“Apollo is an open platform for
developing intelligent vehicles, aiming to strengthen China’s overall competitiveness
in the world’s auto industry. By pooling the best resources of several big
names in China’s auto and IT industries, Apolong is set to speed up the
commercial application of autonomous driving vehicles in the global market,”
said Lu Qi.
While Baidu Apollo First Council
Meeting was taking place in Xiongan, 10 Apolong intelligent vehicles,
including passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, logistic vehicles and
sanitation vehicles, were brought on display in Xiongan, fully showcasing China’s
latest achievements in autonomous driving vehicle industry. An Apolong
mini-bus, jointly developed by King Long and Baidu, drove four kilometers with
passengers on board in the new area.
Unlike a conventional bus, Apolong
mini-bus has no steering wheel, brakes or oil tanks. It is scheduled to start
trial operation in 2018, ushering a brand new era for China’s auto industry.
In July 2017, Baidu officially
joined hands with King Long. The two parties have agreed to develop autonomous driving
commercial vehicles together. On November 16, Apolong, China’s first
self-driving mini-bus, made its debut to the public, pushing China’s auto
making industry to a new historical height.
“Autonomous driving vehicles are
coming fast. By working with Baidu, we hope to bring even earlier the date of
commercialization of autonomous driving vehicles,” said Xie Siyu, President of
King Long.