ExplainersRobotaxis & autonomous vehicles
What is the Apollo RT6?
The Apollo RT6 is Baidu's sixth-generation robotaxi: a purpose-built, battery-electric, fully-driverless vehicle for the Apollo Go ride-hailing service. Note: this is a self-driving car, not Apptronik's Apollo humanoid.
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Key facts
- Form factor
- av
- Maturity
- commercial
- Verified deployments
- 6
- Maker
- Baidu
- battery
- swap-capable
- max speed
- 120 km/h
- drive mode
- battery-electric
- autonomy level
- fully-driverless
- compute platform
- Baidu's Apollo Galaxy / Xinghe self-driving platform
On the record
Baidu's reveal of the purpose-built Apollo RT6, the vehicle for its Apollo Go robotaxi fleet. A product unveil, not proof of driverless operation.
The short answer
The Apollo RT6 is a robotaxi, a self-driving car, made by Baidu (Beijing, China, founded 2000). It is Baidu's sixth-generation autonomous vehicle, purpose-built to power the Apollo Go driverless ride-hailing service. Important disambiguation: despite the name, this is not a humanoid and has nothing to do with Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot.
What it is
The RT6 is a battery-electric vehicle described as a cross between an SUV and a minivan, with a detachable steering wheel, built on Baidu's Apollo Galaxy (Xinghe) self-driving platform and running the Apollo ADFM brain. Baidu manufactures it without relying on a third-party automaker, at roughly 204,600 RMB (about $28,600) per vehicle, which Baidu states is about half the cost of the prior generation. The registry classifies its autonomy as fully-driverless.
What is verified, including the hard parts
The RT6 has 7 verified deployments on record, including Wuhan, Beijing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. The registry also carries 3 incidents tied to it: a service-wide Apollo Go malfunction in Wuhan (March 2026), a nationwide Chinese suspension of new robotaxi permits that followed (April 2026), and a Hellobike-operated RT6 that struck two pedestrians in Zhuzhou in December 2025, after which service was suspended.
For how DEPLOY records both deployments and incidents, see verified-vs-claimed.
Frequently asked
Is the Apollo RT6 the same as Apptronik's Apollo humanoid?
No. The Apollo RT6 is Baidu's self-driving robotaxi. Apptronik's Apollo is a separate humanoid robot from a different company.
Is the Apollo RT6 fully driverless?
The registry classifies it as fully-driverless, powering Baidu's Apollo Go service, though it also records incidents including a Wuhan service malfunction and a pedestrian injury in Zhuzhou.
How much does the Apollo RT6 cost to build?
Baidu states roughly 204,600 RMB (about $28,600) per vehicle, which it says is about half the cost of the previous generation.
Where it is deployed
6 verified deployments on the registry for the Apollo RT6. Click any marker to open its primary-source record.
Explore the deployment map
View the global mapSee where these robots are verified operating, by place and type.
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