Uber just announced a deal today with the company that runs one of the largest robotaxi fleets in China, as the ridehail giant nears its goal of becoming the world’s ultimate autonomous vehicle clearinghouse.

Uber has partnered with a number of firms for robotaxi services, but this latest alliance is getting more attention than most.

Uber Technologies is accelerating its global robotaxi expansion through a landmark multiyear alliance with China's Baidu Inc. This renewed partnership, rekindling ties from a strategic investment over a decade ago,

Tesla expanded the ‘geofence’ for its robotaxi pilot service in Austin, Texas, less than a month after its launch.

Jefferies views Baidu's (BIDU) newly announced partnership with Uber (UBER) for robotaxi services in Asia (excl. China) and the Middle East as a positive, which underscores the Chinese company's leading position in autonomous technology.

Tesla has expanded the service area of its Robotaxi service in Austin, and it did so to draw a penis-shaped service map, seemingly for no other reason than to satisfy the juvenile humor of its CEO, but what it really achieved is to illustrate how unserious Tesla’s Robotaxi business is compared to other efforts.

China’s largest car rental operator, Car Inc., now rents autonomous cars. The company, also known as “Zuche”, is using cars from Chinese tech giant Baidu for the service. China’s government let Baidu’s “Apollo” cars hit the road in 2021, albeit in very small sections of Beijing.