Tesla China to test 10 FSD vehicles ahead of expected public rollout: report

Tesla’s efforts to release its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in China seems to be moving forward. As per recent reports, Shanghai’s Nanhui New Town is facilitating 10 Tesla vehicles that would be carrying out an FSD pilot. 

In its report, Chinese media outlet Shanghai Observer noted that the update was related by Lu Sen, the director of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone Lingang New Area Administrative Committee’s data department. The publication, however, did not provide details such as the date when the reported FSD pilot program would reportedly commence in China. 

Back in May, reports emerged stating that Tesla China was preparing to register FSD with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). At the time, speculations were high that Tesla was preparing to roll out FSD to the Chinese market sometime this year. After Tesla registers FSD with the MIIT, the EV maker is expected to start internal FSD testing on public roads. 

$TSLA
According to additional news, if approved, driverless taxis connecting Nanhui New Town and Pudong Airport may be available immediately.

Tesla will gradually increase its fleet from small to large, as usual. https://t.co/WFt29RMj6G pic.twitter.com/508ux1PTu5

— Tsla Chan (@Tslachan) June 14, 2024

In a lot of ways, Tesla has been laying the foundation for the release of FSD in China. Back in 2021, Tesla set up a data center in Shanghai. The facility gathers data from the Tesla fleet in China. It also stores information related to Tesla China’s production data, sales data, service data, and charging data, as noted in a CNEV Post report. The data centers allows Tesla China to comply with regulatory requirements as well. 

Elon Musk himself has shown some optimism about FSD’s eventual rollout in China. During his surprise visit to the country in late April, Musk met with a number of key government officials. Musk’s meetings sparked speculations that FSD’s rollout to China were discussed. At the same time, it was also announced that Tesla, together with other carmakers like BYD, have met all data processing requirements in the country. 

China is the world’s largest and most competitive auto market. Thus, a system like FSD could have the potential to give Tesla China an edge in the domestic auto market. The size of the Tesla fleet in China, which is estimated at over 1.7 million in the last 10 years, could also provide the electric vehicle maker with valuable real-world data that could further improve FSD’s capabilities. 

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