Lotus Robotics and CaoCao Mobility launch robotaxi platform in China
Lotus Robotics, the autonomous driving division of Lotus, has partnered with CaoCao Mobility, a ride-hailing company backed by Geely Holding, to deploy a new autonomous driving platform for robotaxis.
Powered by Lotus Robotics’ technology, the platform is currently being piloted in Suzhou and Hangzhou, China. This collaboration marks the launch of what the companies claim is China’s first comprehensive autonomous driving system, integrating a custom-built vehicle, fully unmanned driving capabilities, and automated operations.
Pilot testing in the two Chinese cities has demonstrated the system’s reliability, claims Lotus Robotics, with vehicles completing 13,545 kilometers of testing without human intervention.
The partnership aims to refine the vehicle-road-cloud integration model, enhancing vehicle intelligence and infrastructure interaction to address challenges like unexpected pedestrian crossings. This announcement follows Lotus Robotics’ recent collaboration with Aramco Digital to explore robotaxi deployment in the Middle East.
Lotus Robotics offers a suite of autonomous driving solutions, including ROBO Soul, a full self-driving software stack; ROBO Galaxy, a cloud-based data management tool; and ROBO Matrix, a real-time monitoring system for remote safety. The company’s technology is capable of achieving Level 4 autonomy, allowing vehicles to perform driving tasks under specific conditions with human override.
Recent advances include urban road navigation without reliance on maps (“Navigate on Autopilot”) and high-precision navigation for complex maneuvers. These features are currently deployed in China, with a global rollout planned for Q4 2025, subject to regional regulations.
Lotus Robotics collaborates with several global automotive brands, including Lynk & Co and Farizon Auto and utilizes Amazon Web Services (AWS) for data storage and analysis. Operating in 57 Chinese cities, CaoCao Mobility serves over 35,000 businesses and seven million professionals. The partnership signifies a significant step towards the widespread adoption of autonomous driving technology in ride-hailing services.
