Baidu Apollo product development history

In 2013, the first generation of Baidu Apollo was built based on the BMW 3 Series GT. It was the first self-driving vehicle in China. It was modified by Baidu in the company's basement. Its appearance opened the precedent for domestic self-driving. In 2015, the second generation was built based on a team consisting of BYD Qin, Chery eQ, and BAIC EU260. It was the first time that Baidu Apollo tried a multi-model and multi-platform layout, and started large-scale testing. In April 2017, the third generation was built based on Lincoln MKZ, achieving a higher degree of kit integration. At the same time, the test range was expanded from Beijing to more cities, equipped with millimeter-wave radar, video camera, and 360-degree laser rangefinder. In 2019, the fourth generation was built based on Hongqi's E-HS3. It is the first pre-installed mass-produced self-driving vehicle in China and is open for operation in many cities. At present, the main model that can be experienced in the pilot cities through the Carrot Fast Run App is this car, which can monitor the self-driving behavior and the operating status of modules such as chassis, sensors, and computing units in real time. In June 2021, the fifth-generation Baidu Apollo launched the fifth-generation L4 autonomous driving car Apollo Moon, which costs only 480,000 yuan, which is one-third of the industry average cost. Apollo Moon adopts the "ANP-Robotaxi" architecture, has full sensor and computing unit redundancy, complete failure detection and degradation processing strategies, and supports 5G cloud driving, V2X and other functions. The fifth generation includes three models, namely Apollo Moon Polar Fox Edition, Weimar Edition, and Aion Edition. It uses a customized laser radar with a computing power of 800TOPS. In July 2022, the sixth-generation Baidu Apollo launched the sixth-generation model Apollo RT6, which not only has the ability to drive unmanned on complex urban roads, but also costs only 250,000 yuan, which is half the cost of the fifth-generation model. Apollo RT6 is derived from Baidu's self-developed "Apollo Galaxy" architecture platform, which realizes 100% and full vehicle redundancy system. According to the plan, Apollo RT6 will be put into use on Carrot Run first in 2023. The entire vehicle is equipped with 38 external sensors, with a computing power of 1200Tops.