- Hellobike's robotaxi service in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, has been temporarily halted following an incident where a robotaxi struck two pedestrians.
- Hellobike is a latecomer to China's robotaxi sector, having formally announced its entry into the field this June.
Chinese bike-sharing giant Hellobike saw its robotaxi operations halted in a central Chinese city after a rare collision involving pedestrians.
Hellobike's robotaxi service in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, has been temporarily suspended with no set date for resumption, local authorities told Southern Metropolis Daily in a report on Monday.
On December 6, a Hellobike robotaxi traveling on a Zhuzhou street collided with two pedestrians, sparking widespread discussion on Chinese social media platforms.
Hellobike is investigating the incident, the company told the Southern Metropolis Daily.
The report noted that while the autonomous driving button remains visible on the homepage when the Hellobike app is set to Zhuzhou, the software displays "Out of Service Area" when selecting a pickup location.
Hellobike is a latecomer to China's robotaxi sector, formally announcing its entry in June this year, when it co-founded a company with fintech giant Ant Group and battery giant CATL (HKG: 3750, SHE: 300750) to focus on L4 autonomous driving technology R&D.
Headquartered in Shanghai, the venture received over RMB 3 billion yuan ($426 million) in initial funding from its three backers, according to a Hellobike announcement at the time.
In September, Hellobike announced strategic investment in its robotaxi business from Alibaba.
The company has unveiled its first mass-produced robotaxi model, the "HR1" (Hello Robot1), with plans to deploy over 50,000 robotaxis by 2027.
Hellobike has already launched commercial operations in Zhuzhou, Hunan, and Liyang, Jiangsu, while conducting tests in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changzhou, and Changsha.
($1 = RMB 7.0425)
