Baidu Inc announced on Monday that it has secured China's first permits to offer driverless robotaxi services to the public, thus marking a significant milestone for the autonomous ride-hailing industry that is expected to accelerate large-scale commercial use of self-driving technology.

Zoox Inc., the self-driving start-up owned by Amazon.com Inc., unveiled a fully autonomous electric vehicle with no steering wheel that can drive day and night on a single charge.