Ford and Baidu to trial self-driving vehicles in China

Ford has joined forces with technology company Baidu to test Level 4 self-driving vehicles in China over the next two years. Level 4, established by the SAE International (formerly the US Society of Automotive Engineers), will allow the vehicles to operate without intervention from a human driver. A report by CNBC says Ford’s self-driving vehicles are equipped with Baidu’s autonomous driving system Apollo. The cars are expected to be deployed in on-road tests by the end of 2018. Sherif Marakby, pr
November 5, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
278 Ford has joined forces with technology company Baidu to test Level 4 self-driving vehicles in China over the next two years.


Level 4, established by the 567 SAE International (formerly the US Society of Automotive Engineers), will allow the vehicles to operate without intervention from a human driver.

A report by %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external CNBC false https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/31/ford-and-baidu-team-up-to-test-self-driving-vehicles-in-china.html false false%> says Ford’s self-driving vehicles are equipped with Baidu’s autonomous driving system Apollo. The cars are expected to be deployed in on-road tests by the end of 2018.

Sherif Marakby, president and CEO of Ford's autonomous vehicles unit, says the initiative will allow the company to offer solutions which improve safety, convenience and overall mobility experience.

In July, Baidu extended its %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 36218 0 link-external partnership false /sections/general/news/daimler-and-baidu-to-develop-automated-driving-and-connectivity-in-china/ false false%> with German car manufacturer 2069 Daimler to develop automated driving and connectivity projects in China.

The partnership initially formed in 2017 to develop the Apollo platform. Daimler also joined the Apollo Committee, a group whose stated aim is to accelerate research on safer solutions in automated driving and promote the drafting of related regulations.

Related Content

  • October 11, 2017
    Call for ITS World Congress in Copenhagen now open
    The Call for Contributions for ITS World Congress in Copenhagen 2018 are now open with a deadline for 15 December 2017. Leading up to the event, the City of Copenhagen and the Danish Industry Foundation have hosted the first ITS Hackathon, which aims to motivate Danish businesses to test new ITS solutions in the urban environment.
    Read More
  • September 11, 2017
    Eastlink launches self-driving survey, Australia
    Toll route operator Eastlink, with support from Australian Road Research Board, has launched the first of an annual Victorian self-driving vehicle survey for Victorian motorists’ attitudes to and perceptions of self-driving vehicles, to be completed 8 October 2017. The first major survey is aimed at motorists, irrespective of whether they use Eastlink and will be repeated annually to track changes into the future
    Read More
  • November 27, 2018
    Hawaii wins more than $400,000 in EPA Grants
    The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $411,578 in Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grants to Hawaii to help curb pollution from diesel vehicle sources. The EPA’s West Coast Collaborative administers the DERA programme. This partnership, which combines the EPA’s Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest Regions, utilises public and private funds in a bid to reduce emissions. The Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) intends to use the grant to replace two diesel transit buses with batter
    Read More
  • September 18, 2019
    Microsoft launches programme for AV start-ups
    Microsoft is inviting autonomous vehicle (AV) start-ups to take part in a programme which offers access up to $120,000 of free Azure cloud computing platform. The Microsoft for Startups: Autonomous Driving programme will provide participants with access to Azure’s autonomous driving capabilities and one-to-one sessions with Microsoft cloud engineers. The company says members will have opportunities to expand their network by joining Microsoft’s autonomous driving ecosystem. Microsoft says current partner
    Read More

Highlighted Content