Xpeng Vice Chairman and Co-President Brian Gu recently made a statement at a mall in Beijing that self-driving taxis are not expected to become a significant business for at least the next five years. This prediction contrasts with Elon Musk’s vision of Tesla developing artificial intelligence software for a robotaxi network.
While the idea of robotaxis is promising for the future of mobility, Gu believes that establishing a full-fledged commercial operation will take more time than anticipated. He mentioned that Xpeng is not currently planning to launch this service. The company, known for its electric cars, has positioned itself as a leader in driver-assist technology in the market.
Gu emphasized the importance of extensive testing before implementing any autonomous driving services. He noted that other Chinese tech companies like Baidu and Pony.ai have received approval in certain areas of China to operate fully driverless taxis and charge fares. This includes locations in Beijing and Wuhan, which are seen as hubs for testing new technologies in the autonomous driving sector. Despite this progress, Gu still believes that there is much work to be done before self-driving taxis can become a mainstream mode of transportation.