A tech giant dubbed “China’s Google” is planning to test self-driving taxis in the UK, as the US prepares to ban Chinese driverless car technology.
Baidu, the Chinese internet search giant, confirmed on Monday that it would be seeking to road test its Apollo Go autonomous cars in the UK and Germany starting in 2026 under a deal with Lyft, a rival to Uber.
The tech giant is expanding its self-driving car business across Europe, as Chinese carmakers flood Europe with cheap electric vehicles that have challenged domestic car businesses.
Baidu already operates ride-hailing operations in China in cities including Beijing and Wuhan. It said it hoped to have thousands of autonomous cars in Europe in the coming years.
It has also tested and developed its self-driving cars on US roads under an agreement with California’s department of motor vehicles.
However, the US has moved to ban Chinese connected car and autonomous driving software from 2027 onwards.
The Biden administration introduced the ban in January on national security grounds. It said this was to ensure America’s “automotive supply chains are resilient and secure from foreign adversary cyber threats”. The decision has remained in effect under Donald Trump.
The US department of commerce warned in January that the plethora of microchips and internet-connected systems in self-driving cars created “opportunities for data exfiltration and unauthorised vehicle manipulation”.
It added that the “China’s role in the US connected vehicle supply chain presents undue and unacceptable risks”.
UK intelligence officials have repeatedly accused China of cyber espionage and hacking campaigns targeted at government officials and MPs.
In 2023, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, claimed he had been “reliably told” that a ministerial car used by then prime minister Rishi Sunak had been bugged with a tracking device hidden in a microchip.
Officials previously blocked Huawei, the Chinese telecoms business, from Britain’s 5G networks over fears it could pose a security risk.
Luke de Pulford, the executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said: “It wasn’t long ago we were seeing credible reports of ministerial cars hacked by China.
“The Government should act to protect Britain from exposure to Beijing’s data harvesting and espionage, not expose them to more of it.”
US ride-hailing company Lyft has launched a major expansion into Europe in an attempt to challenge Uber. It acquired Freenow, a ride-hailing business owned by BMW and Mercedes-Benz, in a $200m (£150m) deal earlier this year.
