Tesla’s Robo-Taxis Hit the Streets This August: A Game Changer in Mobility?

Mobility Industry Market Changes
Autonomous Driving System Technology Competition
Tesla’s Growth Keywords for this Year

Recently, South Korea, the U.S., and China have rapidly responded to changes in the mobility industry market. In particular, they are engaging in cutting-edge technology competition based on autonomous driving systems, such as robotaxi.

Earlier this year, Tesla identified autonomous driving as its growth keyword. This contrasts with their previous focus on the number of electric vehicles sold. Experts interpret this as recognizing China’s increasing dominance in the electric vehicle market through low-cost strategies and a determination to foster the industry’s highest level of software growth.

Tesla plans to unveil its autonomous robotaxi in August. This move seems to focus more on their autonomous driving business, and more people expect technological improvements.

Last April, Elon Musk announced that “Tesla’s robotaxi will be launched on August 8.” This is interpreted as a plan to unveil software that has been upgraded from Level 3 (conditional automation) to Level 4.

Tesla is betting heavily on software improvement due to the rapid growth of the electric vehicle market in China. China boasts high-level technology in the autonomous driving sector.

Wuhan, known as the transportation hub of central China, has several robotaxis operating in the early morning hours in its autonomous driving demonstration area. These are reportedly operated by the Chinese internet company Baidu.

It is possible to cite Dongfeng Motor’s driverless buses circulating in Wuhan, China. China uses this city, about 14 times the size of Seoul, as a testing ground for future technologies like autonomous driving. China previously stated its goal of winning the global city brain competition by being the first to implement a fully autonomous city.

Baidu, in particular, has shown impressive results. Despite entering the market five years later than Google’s autonomous driving subsidiary Waymo, Baidu is now considered to have surpassed Google. This is because Baidu recorded 732,000 robotaxi rides last year (2023), exceeding the approximately 700,000 rides achieved by Google’s Waymo.

In April, Robin Li, the founder and chairman of Baidu, stated that Baidu’s map application is utilized in over 300 cities across China and has the world’s largest data volume. He also announced plans to expand their autonomous driving tests by deploying an additional 1,000 robotaxis in Wuhan by the end of the year.

South Korea, known for its high technological prowess, plans to introduce autonomous taxis, or robotaxis, in August. It will be the third country in the world to do so, following the U.S. and China.

The robotaxis will be piloted in the Gangnam District of Seoul and available late at night. However, Seoul City clarified that this is not entirely autonomous driving. The autonomous driving market is transitioning from Level 3 to Level 4, and market dominance will be determined by who first introduces new technology.

The robotaxi to be operated in Gangnam is known to have Level 3 technology and will be operated with a safety management officer on board from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next day. Before this, Seoul City had been operating two autonomous buses with safety officers on board from Hapjeong to Dongdaemun after 11 p.m. since the end of last year.

Some are concerned about autonomous driving technologies. According to NBC News, on the 28th, a Tesla owner drove at around 60 mph (96 km/h) in Ohio on the 8th. At the time, A reportedly activated the FSD (Driving Assistance System).

A railroad crossing was ahead, and the signal light was on, indicating an approaching train. The driver, expecting the car’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system to stop, was alarmed when the vehicle maintained its speed and headed straight for the train. Reacting quickly, the driver swerved and hit the brakes, narrowly avoiding a collision. This incident was captured on a dashboard camera, and the video has since attracted millions of views, raising concerns about the reliability of autonomous driving technology.