Tesla plans to launch FSD in China and Europe in the first quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approval. This is a slight delay from previous plans.
US electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla plans to launch FSD (Full Self-Driving) in China early next year, a slight delay from previous plans.
Tesla plans to launch FSD in China and Europe in the first quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approval, Tesla's AI team's account, @Tesla_AI, said on social media platform X today.
The EV maker's CEO, Elon Musk, said on an earnings call in July that Tesla would likely receive regulatory approval to launch FSD in other markets, including Europe and China, by the end of this year.
Musk made an unannounced visit to China in late April. At the time, Bloomberg reported that he aimed to seek FSD approval to help stem Tesla's revenue decline.
On May 30, Reuters reported that Tesla was then preparing to register its FSD software with Chinese authorities so that it could launch the feature this year as planned.
Local media outlet SH Observer said on June 14, citing a Shanghai official, that Shanghai's Nanhui New Town was pushing for 10 Tesla vehicles to carry out a pilot of FSD.
Earlier this month, a Chinese media report said Tesla's progress in rolling out FSD in China was slower than expected.
Tesla had originally planned to start a small internal test of FSD in China this September, but the test has now been delayed, LatePost said in an August 29 report, citing people close to Tesla.
In China, all Tesla vehicles come with free Basic Autopilot (BAP) driver-assit software.
Although not yet actually available in China, Tesla allows car owners to purchase FSD for a one-time fee of RMB 64,000 yuan ($9,020).
In addition to FSD, Tesla also offers Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) in China at half the price of FSD.
For China's local EV makers, they are both worried about the pressure FSD puts on them and expect the entry of the Tesla software to give the industry more vigor.
And for Tesla, there's still a lot of work to be done to make FSD work in China.
Regulatory hurdles aside, Tesla will face one major obstacle after bringing FSD to China -- more than 300 million electric scooters, Xpeng's (NYSE: XPEV) head of autonomous driving Li Liyun said in late June.
In China, it's common for electric scooters to ride on motorized lanes, so one of the headaches Tesla's FSD will have to face once it enters the country will be the vehicle gaming non-motorized vehicles, including electric scooters, Li said.
Tesla plans to launch 2 updated Model Y variants next year, report says
Due to popular demand, Tesla AI team release roadmap:
September 2024
- v12.5.2 with ~3x improved miles between necessary interventions
- v12.5.2 on AI3 computer (unified models for AI3 and AI4)
- Actually Smart Summon
- Cybertruck Autopark 📐
- Eye-tracking with sunglasses 🕶️
-…— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) September 5, 2024
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