Shanghai, China (EFE).- The US company specializing in electric cars Tesla is about to release a software update in China that will enable its users to utilize “autopilot” systems similar to those already available in the United States, according to sources not disclosed to Bloomberg.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, had been in discussions with Chinese regulators to approve the local debut of what the company calls “Full Self-Driving” (FSD), although this system still requires human supervision and periodic interventions by the driver.
According to Bloomberg, the goal is to deploy this update during the “next few days,” allowing customers who have purchased the FSD package for an equivalent price of $8,800 to use this functionality on urban roads. This service will first be available on certain models and will gradually expand to others.
Before its official market launch, Tesla proposed that its employees in China participate in a pilot testing program for these systems, a requirement that involved signing non-disclosure agreements, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
In April of the previous year, Musk visited Beijing to discuss the feasibility of implementing FSD in China, securing a deal on maps and navigation with Baidu, the equivalent of Google in China, and ensuring compliance with local data security and privacy regulations.
The previous month, during a call with financial analysts after announcing earnings, Musk admitted that Tesla continued to face challenges for the implementation of its FSD in China, which he attributed to restrictions imposed by the authorities of Beijing and Washington regarding how the company trains its system to recognize local roads.
According to Musk, Tesla engineers were solving this issue by making use of videos available on the internet showing Chinese streets to train the system.
Advanced driving assistance systems are becoming increasingly common in the Asian giant, where BYD, the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, recently introduced a system called ‘God’s Eye’ that will be added to vehicles starting at an equivalent of $9,630.
This month, Tesla began production at its new energy storage battery complex located in Shanghai (east), where in 2019 it inaugurated its first megafactory outside the United States, which already produces more than half of the vehicles the company sells globally.
Musk, currently the world’s wealthiest man and an ally of US President Donald Trump, maintains a favorable relationship with Chinese authorities, a country he has visited frequently and where Tesla has one of its most important markets.
image credits for this post: Deultimominuto.net
