Baidu’s robotaxi causes accident in a central city of China, leaves two in intensive care
An autonomous vehicle operated by Hello (formerly Hellobike) was involved in a serious accident in Zhuzhou, a city in central China, today, resulting in two pedestrians being hospitalised in intensive care.
According to eyewitness reports and videos shared on social media, the self-driving vehicle struck two pedestrians at approximately 9:00 AM on Yanjiang Road. One victim was trapped beneath the vehicle, while another was injured nearby. Video footage shows the victim trapped under the vehicle, wearing a helmet with visible facial bleeding, as bystanders attempted to lift the vehicle to rescue them.
Local authorities confirmed the incident occurred as the autonomous vehicle, clearly marked with “Hello Autonomous Driving” and bearing the number “3009,” was travelling southbound just after crossing a pedestrian crosswalk. Emergency services responded to the scene, and both victims—one male and one female—were transported to Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, where they are currently receiving treatment in the ICU. The hospital has not released details regarding the extent of their injuries.
When contacted by reporters from Dafeng News, a Hello customer service representative acknowledged receiving information about the incident and stated the company is “actively cooperating with relevant departments” in the investigation. Local traffic police confirmed they received reports about the accident but directed inquiries to their legal department.
Hello’s autonomous vehicles began road testing in August this year after receiving regulatory approval in Zhuzhou, with approximately 20-30 vehicles operating on authorised roads throughout the city.
While Hello recently unveiled its self-developed L4 autonomous “HR1” vehicle (based on the Dongfeng Venucia VX6 platform) in September, the vehicle involved in today’s accident appears to be an Apollo RT6 model purchased from Baidu. The RT6, jointly developed by Baidu and JMC, is Baidu Apollo‘s sixth-generation autonomous vehicle, with a production cost of less than 30,000 USD.
Hello, an Alibaba-affiliated company, best known for its bike-sharing platform that has expanded into ride-hailing services, has ambitious plans in the autonomous vehicle sector. Just days before the accident, the company announced its first L4 autonomous vehicle is scheduled for mass production by June 2026, with small-batch deliveries planned for March. Company co-founder Yu Qiankun previously expressed hopes to deploy more than 50,000 robotaxis by 2027.
Apollo Go is a major and leading robotaxi player in the world, with its robotaxi operations expanded to 22 cities worldwide, including major domestic hubs like Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, as well as international cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Hello’s robotaxi is only testing at two small cities: Zhuzhou and Liyang, and its robotaxi service has been suspended in Zhuzhou after this accident.
