Baidu (BIDU) Stock Drops as Apollo Go Robotaxis Freeze Across Wuhan in Major System Glitch

Key Points

• A significant technical malfunction disabled over 100 Apollo Go autonomous taxis across Wuhan on Tuesday evening
• Some riders remained stuck in stationary vehicles for up to two hours, with one highway crash documented
• Local law enforcement verified the event and confirmed all passengers exited without injury, while investigations continue
• The breakdown sparked renewed concerns on Chinese platforms regarding autonomous vehicle safety standards
• Baidu remains silent with no official statement released regarding the malfunction

Tuesday evening brought Baidu’s Apollo Go operation — China’s most extensive robotaxi network — to an unexpected halt when over 100 autonomous vehicles simultaneously froze on crowded Wuhan streets.

Authorities in Wuhan issued a statement through their official Weibo channel, attributing the disruption to a “system malfunction.” All riders successfully evacuated the vehicles, though several requested police assistance due to dangerous traffic conditions.

Footage authenticated by Reuters and circulated on Douyin captured the autonomous taxis obstructing traffic lanes throughout the metropolitan area. Social media reports indicate at least one collision occurred on a highway during the incident.

Baidu, Inc., BIDU

Multiple passengers found themselves waiting inside immobilized vehicles for approximately two hours before normal operations resumed. Apollo Go personnel collaborated with local officials to address the crisis.

As Baidu’s primary operational hub, Wuhan hosts a fleet exceeding 1,000 fully autonomous vehicles. The city represents a critical testing ground for the company’s self-driving technology expansion.

Neither Reuters nor CNBC received responses from Baidu representatives regarding the incident by press time.

Industry-Wide Safety Concerns

This event marks another chapter in ongoing robotaxi safety challenges. Last August, an Apollo Go vehicle carrying a rider plunged into an open construction site in Chongqing. Three months prior, a Pony.ai robotaxi ignited while driving through Beijing. Both incidents concluded without casualties.

In the United States, a San Francisco electrical grid failure last year caused Waymo’s autonomous fleet to stop operating, creating similar traffic disruptions.

Chinese social platforms erupted with commentary following the Wuhan malfunction, with many users expressing doubts about the technology’s preparedness for widespread commercial deployment.

International Expansion Continues

Tuesday’s technical difficulties haven’t slowed Apollo Go’s aggressive international rollout. Baidu’s fourth-quarter 2025 results showed 3.4 million completely autonomous trips completed, with weekly ride volumes exceeding 300,000 during busy stretches.

The robotaxi service now operates or conducts trials across 26 international locations. Middle Eastern expansion includes full autonomous operations in Abu Dhabi, with recent integration into the Uber platform in Dubai.

Apollo Go maintains collaborative agreements with both Uber and Lyft for London pilot programs. Uber has not yet addressed inquiries about potential impacts to its Dubai operations following the Wuhan breakdown.

According to Yicai Global reporting from Monday, Chinese insurance authorities are approaching completion on regulatory frameworks for autonomous vehicle insurance policies. The Wuhan incident could potentially expedite these regulatory developments.

Investigators continue examining the root cause of the system-wide outage.

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