Baidu introduces 6th-generation autonomous vehicle Apollo RT6

Beijing (Gasgoo)- China’s tech giant Baidu unveiled its sixth-generation production-ready driverless vehicle, the Apollo RT6, at the Baidu World 2022 held on July 21st. 

Photo credit: Baidu

The Apollo RT6 is a fully autonomous battery-electric model with a detachable steering wheel. Designed for complex urban environments, the Apollo RT6 features a per unit cost of RMB250,000 ($37,000). The model will be deployed by Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service, in 2023. 

Photo credit: Baidu

“This massive cost reduction will enable us to deploy tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles across China. We are moving towards a future where taking a robotaxi will be half the cost of taking a taxi today,” said Robin Li, Co-founder and CEO of Baidu, at Baidu World 2022, the company’s flagship technology conference. 

Photo credit: Baidu

The Apollo RT6's steering wheel-free design unleashes more space onboard for extra seating, vending machines, desktops, or gaming consoles. At 4,760mm long with a wheelbase of 2,830mm, the passenger-oriented vehicle delivers comfort with independent rear seating, ample rear legroom of 1,050mm, a flat floor and an intelligent interaction system.

The Apollo RT6 adopts Baidu’s most advanced L4 autonomous driving system, powered by automotive-grade dual computing units with a maximum computing power of 1,200TOPS. The vehicle is equipped with 38 sensors, including 8 LiDARs and 12 cameras, to obtain highly accurate, long-range detection on all sides.

In addition, Baidu's massive trove of real-world data and the 32 million kilometers of autonomous driving distance provide ample support for the vehicle's safe and reliable operation.