Tesla-Baidu Deal Brings Giant Closer To Launching Full-Self Driving Technology In China

Tesla has just inched its way closer towards its goal of launching a full-self driving (FSD) technology in China after it closed a deal with Baidu, a Chinese tech company, to upgrade its mapping software.

Baidu said on Saturday that it will provide navigation services for the lanes Tesla cars would be usie. The company also noted that it will be able to provide detailed information in this kind of navigation. The system would also be able to make lane recommendations on turns in order to improve safety.

When Elon Musk paid China a visit last April, he was not able to secure the approval of the Chinese government to rollout the FSDs. According to experts, his inability then to reach a deal with Baidu concerning the latter's mapping and navigation software proved to be the biggest hurdle. Now, that has changed.

Baidu released a statement saying that Tesla's navigation will be able to accurately provide lane changes on the road, with the help of the company's lane-level map. So from the previous road-level guidance, this time around, it would be upgraded to lane-level guidance. The latter is said to be more precise in terms of navigation.

Earlier, Tesla launched the upgraded software for those located in China's urban areas. On WeChat, Tesla highlighted that it was the first time that such information was made available.

Basically, all Teslas have an Autopilot program, which is the driver-assistance system, but the FSD comes with a heftier price tag. The Autopilot feature is available in China, however, the full FSD has not yet been made available in the country.

Suffice to say, Tesla striking a deal with Baidu would be removing hindrances from rolling out full FSD. The Chinese company has their key mapping credential, which can be applied to driver-assistance functions.

Chinese regulations dictate that before self-driving systems should operate on the road, they need to be able to have mapping qualifications. In fact, foreign car companies would need to partner with a Chinese company so that they would qualify for mapping and surveying.

With Tesla partnering with Baidu, it would now pave the way for the company to have its full FSDs use the public thoroughfares of the Asian country.