China Reignites Robotaxi Race as Regulators Resume Autonomous Vehicle Permit Approvals

What happened

Chinese regulators resumed issuing autonomous vehicle permits following an industry-wide safety review triggered by a mass Baidu Apollo outage in March 2026 that froze all new approvals. Startup Momenta was among the first recipients.

Context and impact

The resumption signals China intends to stay competitive in the global autonomy race despite public safety concerns. The restart comes with heightened safety standards.

Details

• Pause: from March 2026 after a mass Apollo outage in real operational conditions
• Momenta (startup, not Baidu) among first to receive new Shenzhen road permits
• Baidu gradually restoring Apollo Go in Wuhan under enhanced regulatory oversight
• China competes with Waymo and international rivals in autonomy
• The regulatory pause paradoxically strengthened public trust