Shanghai’s Nanhui New Town is promoting the rollout of ten Tesla electric vehicles to pilot the Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite on the city streets, Shanghai Observer reports.
Tesla China gains Nanhui’s support
According to the local media, Shanghai Free Trade Zone Administrative Committee Data Department Director Lu Sen officially confirmed the decision.
Nanhui New City district, near Gigafactory Shanghai, has allowed Tesla China to test its FSD on ten EVs on public streets.
The news is indeed a remarkable advancement, potentially paving the way for FSD’s public rollout in China.
However, the Chinese media omitted to disclose more details about the pilot program, such as the commencement date.
Software registration first before public rollout
Tesla must first register the FSD software at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) before launching it on public roads in China.
For context, MIIT is the one that approves all vehicles and ADAS software seeking to compete in the Chinese market.
Once Tesla receives the necessary nod from the MIIT, it can finally kick off FSD internal testing on public roads.
If the testing is successful, the Musk-led automaker can officially offer the FSD as an update to its Chinese EV owners. Apart from acquiring the software as a package, they should also have the monthly subscription option.
Tesla’s FSD push in China
Tesla continues to make major preparations to launch the FSD suite in the world’s largest automotive market.
For instance, Tesla established a data center in Shanghai in 2021. It has used this facility to store all the data its operations generated in the country. It is part of the American EV giant’s efforts to meet the regulatory requirements of the Chinese government.
Moreover, Tesla also formed an FSD task force in Shanghai and a data labeling team to ensure the smooth progress of its autonomous driving venture in the Chinese market. It also sent engineers from its headquarters for training.
More recently, CEO Musk met with key government officials in China in April. The meeting apparently revolved around FSD software and overseas data transfer.
The potential launch of the FSD suite in China would undoubtedly give Tesla headway in the local market against both homegrown and foreign players. It could also offer Tesla valuable real-world data from its over 1.7 million EVs in the country to refine the software’s capabilities.
