King Long Apolong Autonomous Driving Mini-bus Drove Four Kilometers in Xiongan

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.