A self-driving taxi operated by Chinese tech heavyweight Baidu Inc recently hit a pedestrian crossing against a traffic light in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, sparking heated discussions on the challenges and limitations facing autonomous driving technology, especially in complex scenarios.

近日，中国科技领军者百度公司旗下的自动驾驶出租车在湖北省武汉市，不幸与一名无视红灯过马路的行人发生轻微碰撞，此事迅速激起社会各界对自动驾驶技术，特别是在复杂交通环境中的挑战与局限性的广泛热议。

Meanwhile, the commercial application of robotaxis in more cities across the country has raised concerns about employment, as taxi drivers are worried about losing their jobs amid intensifying competition from driverless ride-hailing vehicles, industry experts said.

与此同时，行业专家指出，随着无人驾驶出租车在全国多地加速商业化部署，其对于出租车司机就业岗位的潜在冲击引发了广泛关注。司机群体担忧，在无人驾驶共享出行服务的竞争浪潮中，他们的生计或将受到严重威胁。

Their comments came after an online video posted on social medial platforms showed an individual sitting on the street nearby an autonomous driving vehicle. Baidu said that the car started moving when the light turned green and had a minor collision with the pedestrian. The person was taken to a hospital, where an examination found no apparent external injuries.

社交媒体上流传的一段视频显示，事发时，一名行人正坐在自动驾驶车辆附近的街道上。据百度官方说明，当交通信号灯转为绿灯后，自动驾驶车辆启动行驶，不料与行人发生了接触。幸运的是，伤者被及时送往医院，经检查未发现严重外伤。

The Beijing-based company has invested heavily in developing self-driving technology, with fully driverless robotaxis currently operating in designated areas of Beijing, Chongqing, Wuhan and Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

总部位于北京的百度，对自动驾驶技术倾注了大量资源，目前已在包括北京、重庆、武汉及深圳在内的多个城市特定区域内，成功运营起全无人驾驶的出租车服务。

Wuhan is stepping up efforts to promote the development of intelligent connected vehicles and commercialization of driverless driving technology, boasting the largest operational region for Baidu's autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go.

作为百度Apollo Go自动驾驶出行平台的重要运营基地，武汉正积极推动智能网联汽车与无人驾驶技术的商业化进程。

Baidu has more than 500 robotaxis running in Wuhan and expects to increase that number to 1,000 by the end of this year. It also plans to expand the size of its fleet and the operation area nationwide, and build the world's largest fully driverless ride-hailing zone.

百度在此已部署超过500辆自动驾驶出租车，并计划年底前增至千辆规模，同时筹划在全国范围内扩大运营版图，旨在构建全球最大的全无人驾驶出行网络。

Zhang Xiang, an auto sector researcher at North China University of Technology, said that the incident in Wuhan indicates that self-driving technology has advanced significantly over the past few years, but it still encounters difficulties under complicated and ever-changing road conditions and has some limitations when dealing with unconventional behavior, such as motorists or pedestrians violating traffic rules.

华北理工大学汽车行业资深研究员张翔分析称，武汉此次事件虽为个例，却凸显了自动驾驶技术在应对复杂路况及非标准交通行为时的局限。

Zhang added that ensuring the safety and stability of robotaxis remains a top priority, and more efforts are required to enhance self-driving testing and application scenarios, continuously optimize algorithms, reduce the manufacturing costs of driverless vehicle components, such as lidar sensor systems, and strengthen the construction of intelligent transportation infrastructure.

他强调，提升自动驾驶车辆的安全性与稳定性仍是首要任务，需进一步强化测试、优化算法、降低成本，并加快智能交通基础设施的建设。

"It is expected to take at least 10 years for the large-scale commercialization of fully driverless robotaxis to materialize, while first- and second-tier cities will take the lead in carrying out pilot operation of autonomous driving ride-hailing services," Zhang added.

张翔还预测，完全无人驾驶技术的广泛商业化尚需至少十年时间，而一线城市将率先成为自动驾驶出行服务的试验田。

The Beijing municipal government recently announced plans to support the use of autonomous vehicles for urban public electric bus transportation, ride-hailing services and car rentals. So far, more than 20 cities nationwide have introduced policies supporting autonomous driving tests, with more than 60 enterprises having obtained self-driving test licenses.

北京市政府亦积极响应，宣布将支持自动驾驶技术应用于城市公共交通、网约车及汽车租赁领域。截至目前，全国已有超过20座城市出台相关政策支持自动驾驶测试，逾60家企业获得测试许可。

However, there are still some obstacles to integrating the self-driving vehicles into the existing road traffic safety management system, as the legal obligations of relevant subjects involving autonomous vehicles have not been clarified under current laws and regulations, said Huang Jinjing, head of the regulation office at the Road Traffic Safety Research Center of the Ministry of Public Security.

然而，公安部道路交通安全研究中心法规室主任黄金晶指出，现行法律法规对自动驾驶汽车相关责任主体的界定尚不明晰，给其融入现有交通管理体系带来一定障碍。

Furthermore, the rising prominence of robotaxis in China has drawn complaints from taxi drivers as they fear that their jobs might be replaced by driverless ride-hailing cars, given that the fees for robotaxis are typically cheaper than those of traditional taxis.

另一方面，由于无人驾驶出租车在价格上的优势，传统出租车司机群体对此表示忧虑，担心被新技术所取代。

Pan Helin, a member of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's Expert Committee for Information and Communication Economy, said, "Currently, driverless cars will not pose a challenge to the traditional taxis sector because people are only inclined to experience this emerging technology, and the number of robotaxis on the road is still far smaller than those of taxis."

但工信部信息通信经济专家委员会委员盘和林则认为，当前无人驾驶汽车尚不足以对传统出租车行业构成实质性冲击，主要因其仍处于试验阶段，且数量有限。

The development of the self-driving industry will bolster the intelligent transformation of the auto industry, rev up the sales of vehicle-mounted devices, and accelerate the construction of vehicle-road coordination systems, which support the transfer of information from vehicles to roadway networks as a way to improve traffic efficiency, he added.

他强调，自动驾驶技术的发展将推动汽车行业智能化升级，促进相关产业链发展，而非直接取代人类司机。

编辑 | ETTBL商务英语翻译

翻译｜Romola

来源｜China Daily

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