Apolong Explained

Apollo (Apolong 阿波龙)
Manufacturer:Baidu, Kinglong
Production:2017–present
Class:Driverless vehicle

The Apolong, sometimes referred to as the Baidu Apollo project, is a driverless vehicle developed by Baidu, Kinglong and a consortium of more than 40 companies.[1]

The Level 4 microcirculation Apolong bus commenced mass production in 2017.[2] [3] It is manufactured by a consortium consisting of Baidu, Kinglong and SB Drive (a subsidiary of Softbank).[4] [5] [6] The driverless bus does not have a steering wheel, accelerator or brake, travels at speeds of 20 to 40 km/h and is able to sense and predict movement of pedestrians and vehicles in its vicinity.[7] It uses Apollo 3.0, Baidu's open source driverless operating platform.[8]

The name Apollo is an English version of the Chinese name for the bus "Apolong".[9] [10]

History

In 2013, Baidu commenced development of autonomous driverless vehicles, through the baidu research institute. This project gradually expanded to including 10,000 developers working on an open platform, and more than 50 partners across the world, including Intel, BMW, Benz, Kinglong and XTE.[11] On 5 July 2017, Bloomberg reported that Baidu had negotiated 50 partners to sign in for the development and purchase of the new unmanned buses.[12]

In 2017, China Daily reported that four Apolong buses were planned for test rides on two bus routes in Shenzhen.[13] In August 2017, an early version of the autonomous vehicle was unveiled at GoMentum, USA.[14] In July 2018, at Baidu Createfest 2018 held in Beijing, Baidu and King Long unveiled the latest version of Apolong. They announced plans of using these buses in specific regions of Wuhan, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Beijing, Wuhan and Pingtan.[15] In July 2018, China org reported that test drives had been carried out in Chongqing and Fujian.[16] In July 2018, Xinhua and New Atlas reported that the buses had commenced mass production as the 100th Apolong bus was rolled out.[2] The bus was first opened to an international audience in November 2018 at the Shanghai World Expo, where 1600 participants from 72 countries were ushered to the venue in Apolong buses.[17] [18]

Specifications

Apolong buses can carry 14 people (8 seated and 6 standing), are guided through cloud technology, have a wheel span of 4.3 metres, are SAE level 4 capable.[19] It uses the Kunlun microchip developed by Baidu.[20]

Production locations

As of November 2018, Apolong buses are assembled in Kinglong's manufacturing premises in Xiamen, Fujian.[21]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Baidu announces volume production of China's first fully autonomous bus . 12 November 2018 . China Daily . 4 July 2018.
  2. News: China's first Level 4 self-driving shuttle enters volume production . 12 November 2018 . New Atlas . 4 July 2018.
  3. News: Baidu just made its 100th bus ahead of its commercial launch . 12 November 2018 . Tech Crunch . 5 July 2018.
  4. News: Baidu apollo self driving cars . 12 November 2018 . Business Insider . 2 July 2017.
  5. News: baidu starts mass production of autonomous buses . 12 November 2018 . DW . 5 July 2018.
  6. News: Baidu's Robin Li Reveals Unmanned Bus, AI Chip, Digital Assistant Upgrade at Tech Summit . 12 November 2018 . Yicai Global . 4 July 2018 . 12 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181112181652/https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/baidus-robin-li-reveals-unmanned-bus-ai-chip-digital-assistant-upgrade-tech-summit . dead .
  7. News: Baidu's self-driving bus begins mass production . 12 November 2018 . China Org . 5 July 2018.
  8. News: Baidu partners with Intel's Mobileye to enhance Apollo self-driving platform . 12 November 2018 . Venture Beat . 3 July 2018.
  9. News: Baidu Apollo . 12 November 2018 . Autonomous stuff . 11 February 2018 .
  10. News: New autonomous bus made by Baidu . 12 November 2018 . BBC . 6 July 2018.
  11. News: Baidu Reaches New Milestone in Autonomous Driving with Volume Production of China's First Commercially Deployed Fully Autonomous Bus . 12 November 2018 . Globe newswire . 3 July 2018.
  12. News: Baidu signs 50 plus partners for Apollo driverless car project . 12 November 2018 . Bloomberg . 5 July 2017.
  13. News: Shenzhen to test self-driving buses on two routes . 12 November 2018 . China Daily . 21 September 2017.
  14. News: Baidu Testing Self-Driving Cars at GoMentum Station . 12 November 2018 . Inside Unmanned Systems . 8 August 2017.
  15. News: Baidu announces volume production of China's first fully autonomous bus . https://web.archive.org/web/20180704084302/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-07/04/c_137301071.htm . dead . July 4, 2018 . 12 November 2018 . Xinhua Net . 4 July 2018.
  16. News: China's Baidu plans to start manufacture of autonomous vehicles next year . 12 November 2018 . South China Morning Post . 18 November 2016.
  17. News: In China showed the unmanned bus on electricity . 12 November 2018 . The Silver Times . 2 November 2018 .
  18. Web site: 3 Key Announcements From Baidu's Developer Conference . www.fool.com . 14 July 2018 . Fool (Investment Blog) . 12 November 2018.
  19. Web site: Baidu Kinglong Apolong - specifications . wattev2buy.com . 20 July 2018 . What ev autonomous vehicles . 12 November 2018.
  20. News: China's car makers want to dominate next phase of autonomous driving . 12 November 2018 . Bloomberg . 23 April 2018.
  21. News: Baidu's self-driving bus begins mass production . https://web.archive.org/web/20180717063551/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-07/04/c_137301519_2.htm . dead . July 17, 2018 . 12 November 2018 . Xinhua Net . 4 July 2018.

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