[Report] Honking at a Cutting-In Car... Riding a Robotaxi in Wuhan, the City of Reckless Driving in China

Taxi Arrives with Steering Wheel Moving on Its Own Within 3 Minutes of Call
Natural Response to Unexpected Situations Like Jaywalking
Limited Roads and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Points Pose 'Limitations'
Used at Half the Price of Regular Taxis... Drivers Protest

"Bbaang!"

On the 5th, in the middle of a road in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the most gentlemanly driver among all the taxis I have taken in China over the past two years suddenly honked loudly. It was the moment when a sudden overtaking maneuver, known as 'cutting in,' tried to merge from the right side. Even in China, where the roads are chaotic, Wuhan is considered the city with the roughest driving, and this was the first time an AI driver showed such a strong reaction.

Known to foreigners as the 'origin of COVID-19' and to locals as one of China's three major 'firepots' (Wuhan, Chongqing, Nanjing) notorious for its intense heat, Wuhan is actually a forward base for China's autonomous driving technology and the city where commercialization began on the largest scale. In this city at the center of driving technology changes, I personally rode a fully unmanned robot taxi.

On the 5th, a robot taxi that boarded in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, is preparing to depart after dropping off a reporter at the destination. (Photo by Kim Hyunjung)

An empty taxi silently stopped right in front of me

The robot taxi I boarded that day was a fully unmanned Level 4 autonomous vehicle equipped with Baidu's 6th generation autonomous driving platform (Apollo), with no safety personnel inside. Unlike the unmanned taxis being piloted in places like Beijing's Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone, where an attendant sits in the front passenger seat, this taxi operating commercially in downtown Wuhan is driven entirely by AI.

Since foreigners cannot currently call the vehicle, I asked a local to summon the car via Baidu's platform (Luobo Kuaipao). The taxi slid smoothly to the waiting spot in front of Chirimiao Station in about three minutes. Seeing the empty driver's seat with only the steering wheel moving on its own through the window gave me a slight chill.

After entering the last digits of my phone number on the external touchscreen, the door clicked open, and as soon as I boarded, the diagonal monitor opposite the driver’s seat activated. When I touched the 'Start' button, the steering wheel shifted lanes and the vehicle immediately began driving with a guiding voice. Through this monitor, I could freely play music or adjust the interior temperature without worrying about anyone's reaction.

Contrary to my initial anxiety about entrusting my life to a machine, the AI driver's skills were textbook perfect. It maintained a steady speed, obeyed traffic rules, and reacted to signal changes within 0.5 seconds. From the moment it changed lanes to move faster or honked at a cutting-in vehicle, I relaxed and enjoyed the drive. After about five minutes, the speed suddenly slowed sharply in a right-turn lane, which I thought was overcautious driving, but moments later, a jaywalking bicycle zipped right in front of us. When a street cleaner appeared on the road, the steering wheel slightly turned to avoid it, and the vehicle merged into lanes at intersections without difficulty. The speed remained consistent at about 60 km/h.

I used the taxi for about 15 minutes over approximately 5 km to my destination, Lanzhanglu Station, and paid 9.8 yuan (about 1,880 KRW). This is less than half the typical taxi fare in China (about 20-25 yuan). Without unnecessary conversations with a driver or fatigue from sudden stops and starts, the 15-minute ride felt almost free.

"Robot taxi fell into the Yangtze River" Drivers are 'boiling'

Since commercial operation began in July last year, unmanned robot taxis have been running not only in Wuhan but also in 10 Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Hefei, and Wuzhen. Wuhan is considered the 'forward base' because it has the largest operational range (about 3,378 km). This is overwhelming compared to other major cities like Beijing (1,144 km), Shanghai (2,000 km), and Chongqing (1,535 km).

According to Wuhan city, there are about 1,000 robot taxis operating in the city. On the ground, existing taxi and ride-sharing drivers showed clear resistance. Drivers I met around the city unanimously said the robot taxis’ driving level was poor and that they should be regarded more as 'experience machines' rather than transportation. Wang Mo, the driver of the first vehicle I boarded at Wuhan Station, complained after traveling about 40 km, "This distance that should take 40 minutes takes the robot taxi 2 hours," calling it "the main cause of traffic jams." He honked and cut in throughout the drive and raised his voice, saying, "It's not safe, so don't ride the robot taxi."

Another driver, He Mo, said about the robot taxi, "It is not operating now," which was inaccurate. He claimed, "Recently, it crashed into the Yangtze River with two passengers," and added, "Robot taxis are unnecessary in complicated cities like Wuhan, maybe only in underdeveloped areas without public transport." When asked if he had witnessed the crash or seen a video, he replied, "No."

Although somewhat exaggerated, their complaints are partly true. Due to narrow road designs and severe traffic congestion in downtown Wuhan, AI is less adept at finding shortcuts or detours compared to humans. Even if a minor collision occurs, the police cannot immediately intervene; a professional safety officer from the operator must come to the scene. The entry road to Wuhan Station, a habitual congestion zone, was initially open to robot taxis but is now banned due to frequent complaints from frustrated drivers. The limitation that robot taxis can only be used on designated routes (35% of Wuhan’s roads) and at specific boarding and alighting points is a fatal flaw for commercial taxis.

US preparing countermeasures... China says "We will go our own way"

The US is preparing critical countermeasures against China, which is racing ahead in the autonomous driving field. The Biden administration is reportedly planning regulations banning the use of Chinese software in autonomous and connected vehicles, prohibiting road testing of Chinese-made autonomous vehicles in the US for national security reasons, and banning vehicles equipped with the latest wireless communication modules developed in China.

In the 12 months up to November 2022, Chinese companies accumulated 724,204 km of test driving in California alone. Tesla, China's only competitor planning to unveil an autonomous taxi using the latest Full Self-Driving (FSD) software on the 8th, has postponed the schedule to October 10, about two months later. Tesla’s FSD received pre-approval for sale in China last April, and around the same time, nine Chinese companies including BYD, Changan, and NIO were granted preliminary qualifications for L3 and L4 autonomous driving operations.

Compared to the US and the European Union (EU), Chinese users’ preferences and willingness to pay are significantly higher, which is also a driving force behind China’s autonomous driving development. According to a recent McKinsey survey, 49% of Chinese consumers prefer autonomous driving, compared to 16% in the US and Germany. The premium value Chinese consumers are willing to pay is about $4,600 (approximately 6.3 million KRW), while in Germany and the US, it is $3,900 and $2,900 respectively. Supported by demand, the annual sales volume of vehicles equipped with autonomous driving functions in China, which was about 26.87 million units in 2022, is expected to increase to 33.5 million units by 2030.

Meanwhile, China plans to expand its autonomous driving pilot zones from 51 cities nationwide to 100 cities by next year, and increase the number of cities operating robo-taxis from 16 to 25. The dedicated roads, currently about 6% (30,000 km) of national highways and above, are planned to increase to 25% (120,000 km) by next year.

Wuhan = Correspondent Kim Hyun-jung alphag@asiae.co.kr