Tesla and Baidu Join Forces to Enable Autonomous Driving in China: A Giant Leap in Self-Driving Technology

Tesla has reached an agreement with Baidu, a Chinese Internet search giant, to access its mapping license. This agreement is a crucial step for Tesla in implementing autonomous driving in China. With this license, Tesla can collect data on Chinese public roads and integrate its lane-level navigation system into Tesla vehicles.

Obtaining these permits is significant progress for Tesla as it helps overcome regulatory hurdles to introduce advanced driver assistance features in the Chinese market. As one of around 20 qualified suppliers with the necessary module for self-driving functions in China, this agreement comes at a time when the smart vehicle market in China is growing rapidly.

Tesla is not the only manufacturer to receive permission to deploy autonomous driving services based on Baidu’s technology. Industry associations have released a list of connected car models that meet data security requirements in China, including BYD, Li Auto, Lotus, Hozon New Energy Automobile, and NIO.

To comply with local laws and regulations regarding data processing, Tesla has installed a data center in Shanghai. Elon Musk visited Beijing recently to discuss enabling autonomous driving modes in Tesla cars in China. The news of the agreement coincides with Musk’s visit and highlights Tesla’s success in China as an example of economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States.

Musk praised the performance of Tesla’s Shanghai factory, which produced over 710,000 vehicles in 2022 alone. He emphasized the progress of electric vehicles in China and stated that all cars will be electric in the future. Since entering the market a decade ago, Tesla has sold 1.7 million cars in China.