Lyft and Chinese tech giant Baidu are setting their sights on Europe for the next phase of their ambitious plan for a worldwide fleet of self-driving cars. The companies are aiming to deploy their robotaxis in the United Kingdom and Germany in 2026, as long as they get the green light from local regulators.
This European launch is a key part of the global partnership the two companies announced last month. When the service goes live, customers will be able to book a ride in one of Baidu’s sixth-generation Apollo Go vehicles directly through the Lyft app. To speed things up, Lyft plans to use its recent acquisition of the European taxi company Freenow, which already has a strong presence in both the UK and Germany.
While the European launch is still a couple of years away, the robotaxi service is expected to hit the streets much sooner in other parts of the world. The first rollouts are scheduled for later this year in Asia and the Middle East.
After the initial launch in the UK and Germany, Lyft and Baidu have big plans for the continent. Their goal is to eventually expand the European fleet to thousands of autonomous vehicles, marking a major step forward in the race to bring self-driving technology to the masses.
