Baidu, a leading Chinese technology company, is contemplating leveraging Tesla’s Robotaxi technology or Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in China. Xu Baoqiang, General Manager of Baidu’s autonomous driving department, expressed the company’s interest in potential collaboration opportunities with Tesla, including the use of specific Tesla applications tailored for the Chinese market.
This consideration comes on the heels of a recent announcement by the local Chinese government supporting Tesla’s FSD technology. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, reportedly proposed testing FSD functions in vehicles already in use in China, such as taxis, and rolling out the FSD software in Chinese taxi services.
Baidu and Tesla already enjoy a strong partnership in China, with Tesla previously announcing its intention to utilize Baidu Maps to further develop the Chinese version of FSD.
In late April 2024, Tesla’s FSD technology reportedly received tentative approval in China. During his visit to China at the time, Elon Musk held meetings with various stakeholders in the local car industry. Chinese officials indicated that Beijing had tentatively approved Tesla’s FSD technology after it met key regulatory requirements in China.
While Tesla continues to work on obtaining regulatory approval for autonomous vehicles in the United States, several states have already adopted laws related to autonomous vehicles, paving the way for operations. Lars Moravy, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, highlighted this progress, stating, “We expect that these states and the work ongoing, as well as the data that we’re providing, will pave a way for a broad-based regulatory approval in the U.S. at least and then in other countries as well.”