Tesla is looking to register its advanced driver-assistance system, “fully autonomous driving” (FSD), software with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, according to sources interviewed by Chinese media. ReutersIt’s a preliminary step that could lead to employees testing the system before it is eventually rolled out to customers in China, Tesla’s second-largest market in the world.
The news comes after CEO Elon Musk visited China last month, where Chinese government officials lifted restrictions on Tesla vehicles and the company signed a contract to collect map data. FSD currently costs $99 per month in the U.S., plus $8,000 for a one-time activation, but Reuters‘ The company is likely to charge a similar monthly fee in China, according to the people. It would also face competition from Chinese automakers such as BYD, Nio and Xpeng, which already offer advanced driver assistance systems in the country.
Tesla’s current FSD system sold in China is a weaker version of its Autopilot system that can assist with steering but cannot drive autonomously in urban areas. In the U.S., a report released in April by the NHTSA linked FSD and Autopilot to hundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths.
Tesla has also yet to launch FSD in Europe, and as we wrote in 2022, “To gain approval, Tesla would need to convincingly demonstrate that its cars with FSD are at least as safe as cars without it. At least for now, it has not done so.”
