Baidu’s Apollo Go Robotaxi Falls In Ditch & Tesla Expands As It Disbands Dojo

Just as Chinese automakers were racing ahead in the autonomous vehicle (AV), electric vehicles (EV), and robotaxi industry, there’s a new development out of the country that’s raised all the perennial concern—safety.

As per a video posted on X by @zhongwen2005, who claims to be a Tesla owner, fan, and long-term investor, a Baidu Apollo Go robotaxi fell into a deep construction pit whilst in operation and while carrying a female passenger.

According to Chinese media outlets such as Southern Metropolis Daily and Huashang Newspaper, the incident occurred in Chongqing on August 6, 2025. Fortunately, the female passenger escaped unharmed and was helped by locals, who brought a ladder to help her climb out.

As per nearby shop owners, the fenced-off construction site had barriers and warning signs—and it’s unclear how the vehicle managed to get through.

However, the post sporting the video post-incident also raised questions about the accuracy and efficacy of high-precision maps, while the post’s caption read, “Robotaxi falls in the hole led by high precision maps, do high precision maps really work?”

Moreover, the incident sparked previous concerns regarding the safety of such vehicles.

Baidu, which runs one of the largest fleets of self-driving taxi services in the country—spanning cities such as Wuhan, Beijing, and Chongqing—didn’t provide a comment on the incident.


While the post drew a long line of concerns questioning the technology used by Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi, numerous users pointed out that “robotaxi” is a term exclusive to Tesla. However, “robotaxi” as a general term has been widely used for the self-driving, ride-hailing service offered by other companies as well.

Talking about Tesla’s Robotaxis, the company is all set to grow its robotaxi presence with a series of updates.

#BaiduDitchedTeslaHitched

Reports noted that Tesla has secured a license in Texas to commercially operate its robotaxi—without a driver behind the wheel. However, it will feature a safety monitor in the front passenger seat.

Initially, trips were reserved for Tesla shareholders and invited influencers only, with trips priced at $4.20. Soon after, the company brought in a dynamic pricing structure over the fixed pricing and grew its testing area in the state. The company also launched a sign-up form on its website, where users could request an invitation to ride the Robotaxi.

That too is set to change by September, as Musk confirmed that access to robotaxis for the general public “will be open access next month.”

Furthermore, the next iteration of the automaker’s full self-driving (FSD) software—FSD 14—will come in around 6 weeks and will come with a “dramatic gain with a 10X higher parameter count and many other improvements. It’s going through training & testing now.”

“Once we confirm real-world safety of FSD 14, which we think will be amazing, the car will nag you much less,” said Musk.

While the new update will “substantially” reduce the need for driver attention, drivers will still have to be alert in complex intersections, poor weather, or “unusual events.”

All these developments come as Tesla has decided to disband its Dojo supercomputer team, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The shuttering comes as the project’s leader, Peter Bannon, is set to leave the company. Additionally, 20 employees from the team have recently joined DensityAI, a new AI startup, while the remaining workers will be moved to other projects.

The project was also aimed at enhancing software and developing in-house chips for self-driving technology. However, Tesla recently signed a massive $16.5 billion deal with Samsung Electronics for chips—a move that most likely played a key role in the decision to disband Dojo.

Do you think the Baidu Apollo Go robotaxi incident will dent the confidence built in other self-driving, ride-hailing service companies? Do you think Tesla’s moves will help it push its robotaxi ambitions?

Let us know in the comments below!