Chinese robotaxis have logged 1.8 million miles in California alone
There is growing national security concern over the data Chinese robotaxi firms are gathering in the United States through self-driving vehicles equipped with cameras, lidar, microphones and other sensors. Chinese-owned companies Pony.ai, WeRide, Didi Research America, Baidu‘s Apollo, and AutoX have logged more than 1.8 million miles in California, according to Fortune.
The article says that the testing, which has occurred across Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, has been going on for about six years. While the U.S. government has already scrutinized such companies as TikTok for its practices, it is not known how much sensitive privacy or national security data has been transferred to China—and thereby to its government.
Baidu’s privacy policies indicate it may process and store data in China. According to the article, Pony.ai transmitted data to China until 2021, while WeRide says it does not share data with the Chinese government.
There also is a big gap between regulatory policies in the U.S. vs. China. The Chinese government does not allow American companies to test their self-driving vehicle in their country. Tesla managed to get Chinese government buy in for its Full Self-Driving mode in China.
While other countries take a more cautious approach, China is embracing self-driving technology. China announced a list of 20 cities that will be testbeds for building smart and connected roads.
