Elon Musk’s unannounced trip to Beijing, China this weekend has brought reports of Tesla’s partnership with Baidu, a domestic internet giant, for mapping and navigation of its vehicles. This collaboration is anticipated to help Tesla overcome obstacles for launching its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in China and address concerns about data security risks on its vehicles. As part of its efforts to meet regulatory requirements in China, Tesla has also fulfilled data security and processing needs, in line with the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. This places Tesla, alongside other domestic automakers like BYD, in a favorable position to make Full Self-Driving a competitive advantage in the Chinese auto industry.
Tesla’s substantial fleet of vehicles in China offers valuable real-world data for the training and development of FSD. Though Tesla has not specified a timeline for the introduction of FSD in China, Musk’s trip to China was reportedly linked to FSD, and Tesla’s official Weibo account highlighted the company’s self-driving ambitions. In a statement, Tesla China expressed gratitude for its involvement in the rapid growth of China’s new energy vehicle industry and pledged to continue working diligently in China to make advancements in artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and energy storage, accelerating the adoption of clean energy and autonomous driving technologies.