Tesla is working with Baidu to upgrade its mapping software in China. The partnership between Tesla and Baidu is expected improve FSD’s (Full Self-Driving) chances of getting regulatory approval in China.
Over the weekend, Baidu announced it would provide lane-level navigation services to Tesla cars in China. According to CNN, the Chinese tech company explained that its navigation services would give drivers more detailed information, resulting in safer driving conditions.
“With the support of Baidu’s lane-level map, Tesla’s navigation can accurately render lane changes on the road the user is currently on, upgrading from providing road-level guidance to providing lane-level guidance,” said Baidu.
Last month, sources familiar with the matter shared that Tesla was taking steps to register FSD with authorities. During Elon Musk’s visit to Beijing in April, he allegedly proposed testing Tesla FSD function in deployed vehicles in the Chinese market. Musk suggested testing Full Self-Driving in Chinese taxi services, too.
In late April 2024, Tesla FSD reportedly received tentative approval in China. Shortly after news broke about Tesla FSD tests in China, rumors spread that the company would partner with Baidu for vehicle mapping and navigation.
During Tesla’s Q1 2024 earnings call, Elon Musk noted that FSD should work anywhere with some country-specific training. China would be an good place to test this claim.
“So, think about the end-to-end neural net-based autonomy is that just like a human, it actually works pretty well without modification in almost any market. So, we plan on — with the approval of the regulators, releasing it as a supervised autonomy system in any market that — where we can get regulatory approval for that, which we think includes China. So, yes, it’s — just like a human, you can go rent a car in a foreign country and you can drive pretty well.
“Obviously, if you live in that country, you’ll drive better. And so, we’ll make the car drive better in these other countries with country-specific training. But it can drive quite well almost everywhere,” said Musk.
If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_01001101.
