Sources familiar with the matter said that Baidu – a company that provides a Chinese Internet search service – has reached an agreement with Tesla, allowing this American electric car company to access a mapping license to collect data about cars. Chinese road traffic.
Tesla electric cars at the store in San Mateo, California, USA, April 15, 2024. Photo: THX/TTXVN
This agreement will remove the final legal barrier for Tesla to operate its self-driving assistance system called Full Self-Driving (FSD) in China. As part of the agreement, Baidu will also provide lane positioning systems to Tesla.
The deal was reached recently when Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited China and met with Prime Minister Li Qiang. During a meeting with senior Chinese officials, billionaire Musk sought approval for the deployment of FSD software in China and the right to transfer data abroad.
In China, all smart driving systems must have a mapping license before operating on the streets. Foreign businesses need to cooperate with domestic companies that have licenses and Baidu is among them.
With the map services license, Tesla will be allowed to legally operate FSD software on Chinese streets. The company’s electric vehicles can collect data about the vehicle’s surroundings, such as road layout, traffic signs and nearby buildings.
Baidu and Tesla began collaborating in early 2020, when Tesla used Baidu’s road maps in its vehicles in China. On April 20, Baidu held a press conference announcing partnerships with several companies, including Tesla.
