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Chinese internet giant Baidu to provide map service for Tesla EVs, as US carmaker eyes mainland launch of self-driving system

South China Morning Post
·3-min read

Chinese internet search giant Baidu will provide Tesla with mapping software for its electric vehicles (EVs), paving the way for the US carmaker to launch its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system on the mainland.

Version 20 of Baidu Maps, a desktop and mobile web-mapping application released in April, will soon be available on Tesla's EVs, the Beijing-based artificial intelligence (AI) champion said in a post on microblogging platform Weibo on Monday.

Baidu Maps' new lane-level, 3D navigation software will have a user interface that is "more intuitive" and "better suited" for Tesla, according to a road test video the Chinese firm posted on Weibo. The V20's capabilities include traffic light countdowns, lane instructions and surveillance alerts.

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This development shows that Tesla, which has been using Baidu for in-car mapping and navigation in China since 2020, could move closer to introducing its FSD system on the mainland. Baidu is one of only around 20 entities in China that have been granted a top-level, map-surveying qualification for advanced driver-assistance systems in the country.

Baidu Maps' new lane-level, 3D navigation software will soon be available to Tesla electric vehicle owners on the mainland. Photo: Weibo alt=Baidu Maps' new lane-level, 3D navigation software will soon be available to Tesla electric vehicle owners on the mainland. Photo: Weibo>

Mapping data is also one of the most guarded categories of information on the mainland, where the popular Google Maps service is not officially available and displays some incorrect coordinates that China distorts.

Baidu, meanwhile, apologised on Weibo for the delay in making its mapping service's latest version available to Tesla EV owners on the mainland. The company said it was "sorry for keeping everyone waiting" and that Baidu Maps for Tesla will be available "very soon".

At the April launch of Baidu Maps V20, the company said the service's new version will roll out in May for a number of vehicles including those from Tesla, Huawei Technologies and JiYue, an EV brand established in 2021 by Baidu and Geely.

In the same month, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk visited Beijing to meet senior government officials, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, as the Austin, Texas-based company planned to launch its FSD system on the mainland amid fierce competition with domestic carmakers in the world's largest EV market.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, in Beijing on April 28, 2024. Photo: Xinhua alt=Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, in Beijing on April 28, 2024. Photo: Xinhua>

Musk had sought consent to operate a robotaxi business on the mainland during a discussion with the country's top policymakers in April, according to a report by state-run newspaper China Daily. Beijing will grant Tesla such a licence to show the government's positive stance on economic ties with the United States, the report said.

Tesla is preparing to register its FSD software with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and plans to roll out the system on the mainland this year, according to a Reuters report last week, citing anonymous sources.

The potential launch is expected to boost the adoption of autonomous driving in China, even though it might not be able to shake up the industry because Tesla's local rivals are offering similar technologies, according to Ming Lee, head of Greater China Autos Research at Bank of America, in a South China Morning Post report last month.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.