Autonomous driving technology is accelerating breakthroughs, and Tesla's in-depth cooperation with Baidu Maps will promote the localization of FSD in China, clearing the last obstacle for commercial operation. With the improvement of policies and regulations, intelligent networked vehicles will soon enter the lives of ordinary people.
1. Tesla's FSD localization process
Tesla's Full Self-Driving System (FSD) is being implemented in the Chinese market at an accelerated pace. According to the latest news, the Chinese government has preliminarily approved Tesla's promotion of the FSD feature in China. This marks a key step forward for Tesla's self-driving technology in China.
In order for FSD to adapt to China's complex road conditions, Tesla needs to collect a large amount of actual road data in China to optimize and train the software algorithm. With the map service license, Tesla will be allowed to run FSD software on Chinese roads to collect data about the vehicle's surroundings, such as road layouts, traffic signs, and nearby buildings. The data will be used to train the FSD system's AI algorithms to improve its performance in China's road conditions.
It is worth noting that Tesla has established a data center in Shanghai in 2021 to achieve localized data storage. And it has passed the information security management system certification of the party organization, and meets the requirements of relevant national data security regulations. This has cleared a major obstacle for FSD to be implemented in China. Tesla revealed that restrictions on the use of its vehicles have been lifted in various places, including Shanghai, where the manufacturing center is located.
2. Baidu Maps V20 version is exclusively supported
In order to accelerate the implementation of FSD in China, Tesla has reached an in-depth cooperation with Baidu, a domestic navigation map giant. It has been revealed that Tesla will use the high-precision lane-level navigation map provided by Baidu Maps to support the Chinese version of the FSD system.
The latest V20 version of Baidu Maps supports lane-level navigation, which can provide refined road data for the autonomous driving system to ensure driving safety. This high-precision map is essential for the smooth operation of the FSD in complex urban road environments. By cooperating with Baidu, Tesla can take advantage of the latter's advantages in domestic map data collection and processing to accelerate the localization of FSD.
Some people pointed out that although Tesla does not rely entirely on maps to achieve autonomous driving functions, high-precision map data can greatly improve the performance of the FSD system. The cooperation with Baidu is not only a map license, but also an in-depth cooperation at the data level, which will help accelerate the pace of localization of FSD algorithms in China.
Third, the commercialization of autonomous driving is on the horizon
The launch of Tesla's FSD in China marks the final sprint to the commercial operation of autonomous driving technology. According to Musk's plan, Tesla will launch its first "Robotaxi" (Robotaxi product) on August 8 this year.
The Robotaxi will be an all-electric, driverless taxi designed to provide a new mobility solution for the future of urban mobility. It will become an important carrier of Tesla's self-driving technology, and is expected to be the first to promote commercial operation in key markets such as China.
During his recent visit to China, Musk has proposed to the Chinese government the idea of testing Robotaxi in China. Although China has not yet fully approved the full implementation of FSD in China, it welcomes Tesla's first test and demonstration in a limited area, and hopes that it can "set a good example". This paved the way for the debut of Robotaxi in the Chinese market.
In addition to technical preparations, the improvement of policies and regulations will also clear the way for the commercial operation of autonomous vehicles. In recent years, many cities in China have opened up road testing of autonomous vehicles, and relevant management regulations are gradually improving. With the continuous liberalization of regulatory policies, new business formats such as self-driving taxis will accelerate the implementation and bring a new travel experience to the public.
Tesla's cooperation with Baidu Maps is an important step in the localization of autonomous driving technology, marking the final sprint to the commercialization of autonomous driving. With the continuous improvement of relevant policies and regulations, intelligent networked vehicles will soon enter the lives of ordinary people, bringing new changes to urban travel.