April 17, 2023: -On Thursday, DiDi Global said it is developing its self-driving taxis alongside Chinese carmakers and plans to roll them out on its ride-hailing service in 2025.

The Chinese company’s autonomous driving unit also showed off a concept robotaxi, or driverless taxi, known as the DiDi Neuron. It states a robotic arm in the rear that can pick up baggage or wake passengers if they fall asleep.

DiDi stated that it is working alongside recent energy vehicle automakers, including electric car manufacturers, developing its robotaxi.

The Beijing-headquartered company known as an independent trucking business named Kargobot, which it says has over 100 driverless trucks in operation. DiDi said the aim is logistics and freight services.

DiDi released two pieces of hardware focusing on autonomous driving. The first, co-increased with Chinese technology firm Benewake, is DiDi Beiyao Beta LiDAR. Lidar states for Light Detection and Ranging Technology. Lidar systems send out lasers bouncing back and measuring distance. An algorithm processes those returning beams to create a three-dimensional expression of surrounding objects, a key technology for autonomous cars to understand their environment.

The second growth is a computing platform for autonomous cars called Orca.

DiDi’s ambitious robotaxi target and recent products highlight its desire to push beyond ride-hailing into new areas, including developing autonomous driving technology.

DiDi set up its autonomous driving unit in 2016 and spun it into a wholly owned subsidiary in 2019. Since then, it has increased outside funding from backers, which include SoftBank. The business has been testing its robot axis in various parts of China. In the previous month, it started commercial operations of its robotaxis in the southern Chinese state of Guangzhou.

China has been confirming the growth of driverless cars. Administrations in major cities like Beijing and Guangzhou have allowed firms from Baidu to WeRide and Pony.ai to test their autonomous vehicles.

DiDi’s slew of announcements comes after nearly two years of intense scrutiny from the Chinese administrations, in further signs a regulatory crackdown could be easing.