Dozens of Robotaxis In China Stop Dead in the Middle of Roads and Highways, Causing Crashes

On Tuesday, a massive system failure in Wuhan, China, left over a hundred robotaxis operated by Baidu, a Chinese tech conglomerate, stranded in the streets and highways. The incident caused significant disruptions, with dozens of self-driving cars stopping abruptly in the middle of traffic, leading to several crashes.

Footage shared on social media provided a glimpse into the chaos. One dashcam video captured a driver passing at least 16 Baidu Apollo Go robotaxis that had stopped in the road within a span of 90 minutes, congesting traffic. Other videos showed the robotaxis halted in highways, sometimes in the fast lane. The outage resulted in at least three confirmed crashes.

A user on the Chinese social media platform RedNote shared a video of a rear-end collision caused by a stranded Baidu robotaxi. The driver in the video mentioned that the car in front of him suddenly changed lanes to avoid hitting the stationary robotaxi, leaving him with little time to react. Wired also found videos of two other collisions, with one RedNote user confirming that a van had slammed into the rear of a Baidu cab.

For the passengers, the experience was equally chaotic. One passenger told Wired that she and her two friends were stuck in a Baidu robotaxi for 90 minutes during the outage. The car stopped multiple times before finally parking in front of an intersection. A screen in the vehicle instructed them to stay put, promising that a company representative would arrive in "five minutes." However, no one came, and they spent another half-hour trying to reach customer support. When support offered no helpful information, the passengers decided to exit the unlocked vehicle and walk home.

Other passengers shared similar frustrating experiences on RedNote, with one complaining about the inability to communicate with the company or get assistance. The incident highlights the challenges faced by autonomous vehicle operators in managing system failures and ensuring passenger safety during unexpected outages.

Baidu, which has deployed hundreds of self-driving cars in Wuhan, has not yet released an official statement addressing the incident. The sudden halt of multiple robotaxis in the middle of roads and highways serves as a stark reminder of the potential risks and vulnerabilities associated with autonomous transportation systems. As more cities around the world explore the adoption of robotaxis and other forms of autonomous vehicles, this incident underscores the need for robust contingency plans and effective communication channels to ensure the safety and well-being of both passengers and other road users.