BEIJING Tesla on Friday released a software upgrade for its in-car navigation system in China, adding new features such as displaying lane markings on its maps that correspond to actual lanes on the road. The company announced the update on its official WeChat account, with the latest over-the-air upgrade adding several new features that the company claimed will reduce users’ reliance on smartphone applications while driving. Tesla did not specify the provider of the lane-keeping mapping service, while the official Shanghai Securities News reported on Friday that Baidu Map is the supplier.
Baidu first announced the release of its V20 Baidu Maps in April, naming Tesla and Huawei among the map’s customers. Baidu has been Tesla’s navigation map provider since 2020. Baidu Maps V20 introduces lane-level navigation, which the company said can provide detailed road information and lane recommendations to human drivers to enhance driving safety and experience.
Chinese users in China have complained about Tesla’s in-car navigation map on social media.
have complained, saying it is not as detailed as maps available on smartphones. Tesla in China was not immediately available to comment.Tesla, which uses only cameras as sensors for its autonomous driving technology, is currently in the process of introducing its ‘Full Self-Driving’ (FSD) software system in China, which has made recent progress as the company prepares to register this technologically advanced feature with authorities, Reuters reported last month.Unlike high-definition maps that collect more detailed, sensitive geographic information to serve as an additional sensor for autonomous driving cars, navigation maps have been widely used in China to provide traffic information to human drivers.
