Tesla Robotaxi could get test permission in China: Media Report

Electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla could get permission to test its autonomous Robotaxi in China reports local media citing related sources. Tesla chief, Elon Musk has confirmed plans to release a Robotaxi car in August. This car is expected to be based on the next-generation platform and use Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) capability.

State media, Chinadaily reported that the Chinese government could support Tesla in conducting autonomous Robotaxi domestically. The latest report appears after Musk’s past week’s visit to China.

He met with top Chinese leadership and EV industry companies to grow business partnerships. Musk’s visit also marked a clearance on advanced assisted driving features after pairing with China’s search giant Baidu.

Tesla said to use Baidu’s new 3D map and lane information technology in cars. This will help the company to get approval for the release of FSD. Despite his nearly successful visit, Chinese regulators have confirmed an approval. This could be related to some concerns from the Chinese side, which has prevented Tesla from launching FSD in the market for quite some time. That includes the data collection from Chinese Teslas.

Tesla Robotaxi Concept Render (Image Credit: Cyberowners)

Aside from selling FSD, Musk may want to access self-driving data collected from the FSD cars and send it back to US servers to train computing according to a new diverse traffic system. That’s where the local government differs from the EV company and the negotiations are underway to conclude.

In the meantime, Tesla has also cleared the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) for data safety requirements. It simply means that Tesla cars produced in China received authority to pass through crucial zones in the country where it was previously restricted. These are some big developments but FSD still sits in the core of Robotaxi and Tesla will require its licensing before it can test the vehicle on-road in China.

(via CNevpost )