Robotaxis: The High-Stakes Road Ahead for China and the U.S.
When people imagine “self-driving cars,” they often think of high-tech cruise control in personal vehicles. But the real driverless revolution is happening somewhere else: Robotaxis.
by Onur Kimyonok
In this space, China and the U.S. are locked in a high-stakes race — each pouring billions into development. But as the technology edges closer to mainstream use, growing safety concerns are putting those investments at risk.
China’s Robotaxis: Full Speed into Urban Life
For China, robotaxis are no longer a future promise — they’re operational reality.
Baidu’s Apollo Go operates in more than 10 cities, with a fleet of 400 fully driverless taxis in Wuhan running 24/7. The company aims to expand this fleet to 1,000 vehicles by the end of the year.
Pony.ai is also ramping up, targeting 1,000 robotaxis in China by 2026. In parallel, it’s partnering with Uber to bring autonomous taxis to the Middle East.
AutoX, backed by Alibaba Group, operates robotaxi services in major Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Meanwhile, local governments are accelerating deployments through designated Autonomous Vehicle Zones, providing controlled environments that streamline approvals and testing.
China’s formula is straightforward: Centralized policy support, aggressive scaling, and seamless integration into city life. Robotaxis are treated not as tech experiments, but as everyday mobility services.
U.S. Robotaxis: Innovation Meets Resistance
In the U.S., the journey is more cautious — and fragmented.
Waymo (Alphabet) leads the pack, offering driverless rides in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, but expansion remains slow.
Cruise (GM) halted its entire robotaxi program after a pedestrian was injured, sparking regulatory backlash.
Zoox (Amazon) continues small-scale testing in Las Vegas.
Tesla’s robotaxi vision remains on the horizon, with a tentative launch no earlier than 2026.
The challenge isn’t only the technology itself — it’s the maze of state-level regulations, coupled with public skepticism after safety incidents. Every city rollout is a new battle, slowed by infrastructure realities and local politics.
As a result, U.S. robotaxis remain largely confined to pilot programs, far from achieving national scale.
Safety & Trust: One Misstep Can Stop the Race
Both countries face the same harsh truth: Autonomous vehicles are only as successful as their safety record. Recent events highlight how fragile that trust can be:
Waymo recalled 1,212 vehicles in 2025 after multiple collisions with gates and barriers.
Cruise shut down entirely after a robotaxi dragged a pedestrian, leading GM to abandon the project.
China has faced its own incidents, such as the fatal Xiaomi SU7 crash, prompting tighter advertising rules. But crucially, China’s centralized response mechanisms allow it to correct course swiftly while keeping robotaxis on the road.
In the U.S., fragmented regulation and public skepticism make every safety lapse a reputational crisis.
Robotaxis: But Who Can Afford It?
The financial stakes are enormous.
In China, government funding fuels rapid scaling, while private companies like Pony.ai have reduced system costs by 70%. In the U.S., the burden falls on private giants. Alphabet (Waymo) alone pledged to invest over $5 billion into its robotaxi efforts.
But without public funding or coordinated policy support, scaling remains expensive and risky. Cruise’s shutdown was a costly lesson in how fragile these ambitions can be.
Both nations have invested too much to walk away. Yet while China accelerates deployment as a strategic priority, U.S. companies are forced to balance cautious expansion with relentless financial pressure.
