Chinese Autonomous Buses are Spreading Around the World

In the 20th century, the U.S. was the dominant industrial power. We enjoyed conveniences and luxuries not readily available in other parts of the world, from air conditioning to appliances to cutting-edge vehicles.This century is turning out to be wildly different. In just a few decades, China has gone from industrial backwater to developer of worldbeating technology. Their citizens already enjoy inexpensive EVs that we could never cost-effectively produce in America. And as another case in point, a few years ago Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide launched their self-driving Robobuses in Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and other Chinese cities. The Robobus was/is a domestic success, and the firm has spread into overseas markets. Today they’re in 40 cities across China, France, Switzerland, Singapore, Spain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and even former technological rival Japan. Also striking is that the Robobus is not some provincially-designed vehicle that caters to local tastes; instead it’s a generously-glazed, well-proportioned vehicle that’s easy on the eyes. Given current political realities, it goes without saying that the Robobus will not hit U.S. streets. As an American raised in the 20th century, I’m dealing with a strange sensation: The feeling that, in some ways, our country is getting left behind. For a video look at the bus, here’s one operating in France: