Tesla Model S у центрі продажів Tesla у Китаї, 2014 рік. Depositphotos
On Tuesday, Tesla launched autonomous driving functions for some of its car models in China, but the decision did not please all drivers, primarily due to the limited nature of the program compared to the US version.
According to Business InsiderThe software that Tesla rolled out in China on Tuesday does not include Full Self-Driving in its entirety, but focuses primarily on standard driver assistance features such as automatic lane change based on speed and route, detection of traffic lights at intersections, and turn decision making (an internal camera will also monitor driver attention).
These functions, according to Reuters, are less advanced than those available in the United States, namely «due to insufficient data preparation on Chinese roads and traffic rules», and Elon Musk’s later messages generally confirmed these statements:
«We took a publicly available video of roads and road signs in China from the Internet and used it to train the simulator», — Musk wrote on X after being asked how Tesla could deploy its autonomous driving technology in China without any local testing.
Tesla clarifies that autonomous driving functions «will be gradually implemented in most vehicles», but may differ depending on the car configuration.
Tesla’s move came after its Chinese competitor BYD announced that all its customers would receive self-driving software for free. Tesla car owners in China currently have to pay about $8,800 to enjoy this privilege.
Elon Musk’s car company is facing increasing pressure from competitors. In January, Tesla reported sales of 1.79 million cars in 2024, down 1% from 2023. Although the decline may seem insignificant — it is the first drop in Tesla’s annual sales in the last decade.
Tesla’s pivot to autonomous driving comes amid a concerted push by Musk to redefine the electric car giant as a «artificial intelligence or robotics company».
«If you’re evaluating Tesla as a car company, that’s a false definition. And if you’re asking the wrong question, then the right answer is impossible»,” Musk told investors in April.
In January, during his financial report, Musk said that while he hopes Tesla will have fully autonomous cars without controls in most countries by the end of next year, this may be limited solely by regulatory concerns.
