Baidu Apollo · robotaxi
Apollo Robotaxi
Hongqi E-Jie / Hongqi EV
An electric Hongqi sedan co-developed by Baidu and FAW with the self-driving kit installed at the factory. It carried Apollo Go's first public trial passengers, with a safety operator on board.
- Price
- —service only, not sold
- Autonomy
- Level 4No driver needed in its area
- Driverless
- Not yetSafety driver on board
- Fleet
- 45Reported; details below
- Speed
- —Not published
- Range
- —Not published
Why it matters
Billed as China's first factory-built, volume-produced L4 car, and the vehicle that launched the Apollo Go robotaxi service in Changsha.
Real-world use
A first batch of 45 cars began public trial rides with safety operators in Changsha on 26 September 2019, later followed by Cangzhou in 2020.
Timeline
- Released
- 2019-09-26
Maker
Baidu ApolloCompanyHow it drives
Fleet and city figures move fast; each carries its date and who reported it.
- Driverless status
- Safety driver on board
- Where it runs
- Changsha (2019 trial), Cangzhou (2020)
- Fleet
- 45 cars in the first Changsha batch (Gasgoo/Just Auto, 2019)
- SAE level
- Level 4: drives itself with no one at the controls inside its approved area
Public attention
How much public attention Apollo Robotaxi (Hongqi E-Jie / Hongqi EV) gets, from open data.
- No Wikipedia article of its own yet
- No recent press stories listed yet
- about 45 units or vehicles reported by the maker or press (may be a company-wide total)
- 2 reported deployments
Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-13; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
No component details published yet.
- Movement
- Wheeled base
- How it runs
- Supervised. Works by itself while a person watches and steps in.
Lineage
Every Baidu Apollo with FAW Hongqi vehicle in order.
Apolong2018Discontinued- Apollo Robotaxi (Hongqi E-Jie / Hongqi EV)2019Pilot use
- No public photo yetWe only show photos we're allowed to useApollo Lincoln MKZ test car (US)2021Research
Apollo Moon (5th-gen robotaxi, ARCFOX version)2021Pilot use
Apolong II2021Pilot use
Apollo RT6 (6th-gen robotaxi)2022Commercial
Made, sold and where
No production or sales figures published yet.
- Price
- Not publishedservice only, not sold
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
Where it works
2 reported deployments.
- Deployed
Baidu Apollo Go · Meixi Lake and Yang Lake, Xiangjiang New Area · Changsha · since 2022-08 · 30 units
Apollo Go began a paid robotaxi service in Changsha's Xiangjiang New Area in August 2022 after earlier free rides there. 30 vehicles serving 311 stations (Aug 2022) Gasgoo Auto News
- Deployed
Baidu Apollo Go with Yuntu · Cangzhou · since 2020-08-21
Apollo Go opened free robotaxi rides to the public in downtown Cangzhou in August 2020, run with local partner Yuntu. Gasgoo Auto News
Side by side with its peers
Picked by the same rules for every robot: another maker’s robot that moves the same way, is at the same stage and does at least one of the same main jobs, first shown within two years. Closer size and price rank higher. How we choose
| Measure | Apollo Robotaxi (Hongqi E-Jie / Hongqi EV)Baidu Apollo with FAW Hongqi |  Pony.ai Lexus RX robotaxiPony.aiSame job: ride-hail · Both on wheels · Both on sale or in pilots |  Yandex robotaxi (Hyundai Sonata)Yandex (Yandex Self-Driving Group) with Hyundai MobisSame job: ride-hail · Both on wheels · Both on sale or in pilots |  Zoox robotaxiZoox (Amazon)Same job: ride-hail · Both on wheels · Both on sale or in pilots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2019-08-02 | 2019 | 2019-07 | 2020-12-14 |
| Status | Pilot use | Pilot use | Pilot use | Commercial |
| Height | — | — | — | — |
| Weight | — | — | — | — |
| Joints | — | — | — | — |
| Speed | — | — | — | 121 km/h |
| Payload | — | — | — | — |
| Battery | — | — | — | — |
| Price | — | — | — | — |
Sources
Figures come from press coverage. Every link below backs something on this page.
Photos and logos only identify each robot and its maker. Simbeing is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsing any company, and nothing here is advertising. Figures are for statistics only and are not advice of any kind. Terms of use