Photo: @chazman via Twitter | Edited
Tesla might be seen as a leader in automated driving in the Western world, but in China, the American EV maker is not even on the map. There are many reasons for this, but it’s important to note that things could change soon. Chinese media claims that Tesla is preparing to launch the FSD Beta in the country, marking the first time the self-driving software goes live outside North America.
While Tesla FSD Beta development advances rapidly in the U.S., other markets still wait for self-driving capabilities to start working. Some people consider this a rip-off since they paid for the FSD capability without benefitting. Elon Musk last year promised that the semi-autonomous driving features would be submitted to regulators in Europe in 2022, with public tests starting in 2023. In February, he reiterated that the FSD Beta would go live in Europe after the V11.3 release.
Still, it seems that Europe is not the first region that would get the FSD Beta software outside of North America. Surprisingly, it’s China, a market where Tesla has struggled to obtain permission to test the FSD. Chinese authorities banned the use of Tesla vehicles in March 2021 around military facilities and other sensitive areas because they feared the images would be used for data collecting. Tesla is also processing data in the U.S., something that the Chinese government didn’t like.
This has made Tesla a laggard in autonomous driving technology in China, far outpaced by local brands like NIO, XPeng, or BYD. This is set to change, though, and we wonder what Elon Musk promised Chinese authorities to allow it to test the FSD Beta. At the end of March, Chinese bloggers discovered that Tesla was preparing a major Autopilot release in China. Caixin, a local news outlet, claims that Tesla will launch large-scale testing of the FSD Beta software in China before its European launch.
The news broke in a seemingly unrelated article about BYD and was very light on information regarding the Tesla FSD Beta software. “According to Caixin’s understanding, Tesla, which dominates the 200,000-300,000 yuan ($29,000-$44.000) range and the higher-end market, is about to start a large-scale test of FSD Beta in China,” writes the article. This is the second time in a week that similar rumors have surfaced and have considerably raised the hopes of Tesla’s Chinese customers.
Tesla sells its vehicles in China with Basic Autopilot (BAP) as standard equipment, but it also offers Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) and FSD capability as an option. These optional features cost 32,000 yuan ($4,650) and 64,000 yuan ($9,300), respectively. Enhance Autopilot has been available in China since February 2021, offering assisted lane change, automatic parking, and smart summon functions. The software failed to impress Chinese customers, who consider the local car brands much better in self-driving capabilities.
Still, it seems that Europe is not the first region that would get the FSD Beta software outside of North America. Surprisingly, it’s China, a market where Tesla has struggled to obtain permission to test the FSD. Chinese authorities banned the use of Tesla vehicles in March 2021 around military facilities and other sensitive areas because they feared the images would be used for data collecting. Tesla is also processing data in the U.S., something that the Chinese government didn’t like.
This has made Tesla a laggard in autonomous driving technology in China, far outpaced by local brands like NIO, XPeng, or BYD. This is set to change, though, and we wonder what Elon Musk promised Chinese authorities to allow it to test the FSD Beta. At the end of March, Chinese bloggers discovered that Tesla was preparing a major Autopilot release in China. Caixin, a local news outlet, claims that Tesla will launch large-scale testing of the FSD Beta software in China before its European launch.
The news broke in a seemingly unrelated article about BYD and was very light on information regarding the Tesla FSD Beta software. “According to Caixin’s understanding, Tesla, which dominates the 200,000-300,000 yuan ($29,000-$44.000) range and the higher-end market, is about to start a large-scale test of FSD Beta in China,” writes the article. This is the second time in a week that similar rumors have surfaced and have considerably raised the hopes of Tesla’s Chinese customers.
Tesla sells its vehicles in China with Basic Autopilot (BAP) as standard equipment, but it also offers Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) and FSD capability as an option. These optional features cost 32,000 yuan ($4,650) and 64,000 yuan ($9,300), respectively. Enhance Autopilot has been available in China since February 2021, offering assisted lane change, automatic parking, and smart summon functions. The software failed to impress Chinese customers, who consider the local car brands much better in self-driving capabilities.
Caixin reports: $TSLA will soon start a wide range testing of FSD Beta in China????????
— Berlinergy (@Berlinergy) April 4, 2023
China will soon become the most competitive market for urban assisted driving https://t.co/YVMB4rt0Qe pic.twitter.com/RXO52yDOZs
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