Even large corporations are suffering from problems developing self-driving taxis. GM’s Cruise subsidiary recently deemed Origin’s self-driving vans uneconomical, and Tesla was forced to push back the unveiling of its robotic taxi from August to October. Against this background, WeRide radiates optimism, expressing its readiness to explore the global market and enter the US stock exchange.
Image source: WeRide
This company, founded in 2017 in California, filed an application for an IPO last week, but did not specify how much money it plans to raise as a result. WeRide plans to use machine learning technologies to develop unmanned vehicles for public utilities and transport companies, not to mention banal automatic taxis. Back in 2019, WeRide received permission to operate robotic taxis in Guangzhou, China. The company’s investors are the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance and the Chinese auto giant GAC Group. WeRide began testing robotic sweepers and car washes in Singapore in June, but they are currently being supervised by testers.
WeRide driverless minibuses for transporting passengers are already operating at one of the island resorts south of Singapore, and the company has demonstrated such vehicles in France. It has permission to operate unmanned vehicles from the authorities of the USA, Singapore, UAE and China. No other company in this business sector can boast of such a geography of approvals. In the near future, WeRide intends to begin developing the markets of Europe and Japan. The company, registered in the Cayman Islands, carries out most of its activities in China. WeRide prefers to enter the markets of those countries where the government has a clear understanding of the development of artificial intelligence systems in terms of their commercial application.