Baidu, a Chinese company, is considering the use of Tesla’s robotaxi technology or Full Self-Driving (FSD) in China. Xu Baoqiang, the General Manager for Baidu’s autonomous driving department, stated that the company would explore potential collaboration opportunities with Tesla and potentially utilize specific Tesla applications in China.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has allegedly proposed testing the Full Self-Driving functions in vehicles already deployed in the Chinese market, particularly in taxis. Musk also suggested the rollout of Tesla’s FSD software in Chinese taxi services.
Baidu and Tesla already have a strong partnership in China, with Tesla stating that it would use Baidu Maps to further develop China’s version of FSD. During his visit to China, Musk had meetings with various individuals in the local car industry.
Chinese officials indicated that Beijing had provisionally approved Tesla FSD after clearing certain regulatory hurdles in China. It is noted that Tesla is still working on regulatory approval for autonomous vehicles in the United States, with other companies and states also progressing towards regulations for autonomous vehicles.
Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, mentioned that several states in the US have already adopted autonomous vehicle laws, leading the way for operations and a broader adoption of driverless vehicles. The ongoing work and the data being provided are expected to pave the way for broad-based regulatory approval in the US and potentially in other countries.