Though evidence suggests that the Full Self-Driving mode of Tesla could be dangerous, the company is still pushing to release the tech in China.
The company is reportedly preparing to have its FSD software registered with Chinese authorities. This could come as a prelude to a greater rollout in the country, which is its second-largest market.
Tesla's Full Self-Driving Mode To Be Released in China
Tesla is also thinking about offering a monthly subscription to the country.
However, there are still questions regarding how the terrible track record of the FSD could affect this push. The technology has garnered several investigations. It has also resulted in hundreds of car crashes and dozens of fatalities.
The news of this update comes after it was reported that the company is pushing their suppliers to purchase EV components outside of Taiwan and China.
Several executives of the supply chain shared that the request noted mounting geopolitical risks regarding the upcoming presidential election of the US.
These moves are also made in the middle of a bad financial year for the electric vehicle company. If the FSD really rolls out in China, it could reveal a much-needed revenue stream for the company.
Tesla has seen a great plummet in its stock price amidst the politicking of its CEO and the increasing competitiveness of the electric vehicle market.
Full Self-Driving Mode
As implied by its name, Tesla's Full Self-Driving mode implies that cars are able to drive independently. However, this is actually far from what it actually is.
Tesla has seen great advancements in the technology of semi-autonomous driving.
Autonomy of vehicles is quite complex. If someone recently purchased a vehicle, the car is likely to have semi-autonomous features, such as automatic braking.
Overall, vehicle autonomy is ranked on a scale of 0 to 5. The lowest level 0 implies no automation, while level 5 implies being totally automated.
Vehicles that have driver-assist systems have a level 1 rating. As for vehicles that have limited hands-free systems, such as Tesla's Full Self-Driving tech, these have a Level 2 rating.
Full Self-Driving mixes Autopilot navigation in order to allow highway trips. These include looking for the route that is most efficient and moving the on-and-off ramps, interchanges, exits, and lane changes.
Tesla says that their Full Self-Driving mode involves moving on Autopilot, automatically changing lanes, auto parking, smart summoning, auto steering in city streets, and identifying stop and traffic signs.
The features enabled by Autopilot and Full Self-Driving still require the active supervision of the driver. These technologies do not make the electric vehicle autonomous.
Complete autonomy would depend on reaching a level of reliability that exceeds that of human drivers.
FSD Under Scrutiny
In a recent case, a Tesla owner said that his electric vehicle's self-driving tech was not able to pick up a moving train. This led to a grave accident that was shown in a video footage that has been circulating on social media.
That said, the capabilities and marketing of the FSD have received great scrutiny. There have been some prior incidents and indications that have suggested the FSD's shortcomings. Several of these have been circulating in the digital space.
In November 2022, an FSD-mode Tesla stopped abruptly on a major freeway. This led to a pileup of eight cars.
Moreover, a report that was released just last month covered dozens of crashes that were related to FSD. It also noted the December recall of the company that was related to Autopilot.
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