Robotaxi Glitch Sparks Safety Concerns in Wuhan

A system outage involving Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis in Wuhan led to vehicles stalling on roads, raising safety concerns. No injuries were reported as passengers exited safely. At least 100 vehicles were affected, and the incident is under investigation. Discussions about robotaxi safety in China have intensified.

A system failure involving Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis caused a significant outage in Wuhan, sparking renewed safety concerns in the fast-growing autonomous vehicle sector. According to local police, the incident involved multiple vehicles suddenly halting in the middle of roads, though passengers exited safely without injuries.

The event occurred late Tuesday, with police receiving numerous reports of stalled vehicles. Over 100 Apollo Go taxis were affected, leading to traffic woes as passengers hesitated to leave the vehicles amid heavy congestion. Some reportedly remained inside for nearly two hours.

Baidu has not yet commented on the incident, which adds to ongoing debates on robotaxi readiness and safety in China. The outage resembles similar incidents, such as a robotaxi falling into a construction pit in Chongqing and another catching fire in Beijing earlier this year. As Chinese companies like Baidu, Pony.ai, and WeRide expand their services, public scrutiny grows regarding the reliability of these autonomous fleets.

(With inputs from agencies.)