Tesla Faces Regulatory Challenges in China Over Full Self-Driving Features
Tesla recently launched its ‘Full Self-Driving’ package in China, but the country has announced new limitations on automated driving features. This move comes after Tesla introduced the FSD package for owners with the latest “Hardware 4.0” vehicles in the Chinese market.
Most of the features under Tesla’s FSD package have been limited to North America due to market training and regulatory restrictions. However, Tesla faced challenges in China as it had to pause the rollout of FSD due to updated requirements from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
Following a meeting with automotive industry stakeholders, MIIT clarified the rollout of advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features. Car companies were instructed to avoid using terms like “self-driving” or “autonomous driving” and instead use the term “combined assisted driving” to avoid misleading consumers.
Tesla responded by changing the name from ‘Full Self-Driving’ to “Intelligent Assisted Driving” in China. The meeting focused on enforcing updated requirements, emphasizing the need for thorough testing and verification of combined driving assistance systems.
Regulators also stressed the importance of reducing the frequency of new software updates and focusing on extended testing before releasing updates. The recent months have seen chaos in the ADAS market in China, with several companies including BYD, Xiaomi, and Huawei releasing their systems.
Xiaomi reported a fatal accident involving its ADAS system, while Tesla owners using FSD faced fines for mistakes made by the system. These challenges highlight the need for regulatory clarity and safety measures in the development and deployment of advanced driving technologies in China.