Tesla adds city navigation feature in China: What is it? – Car News

Autonomous features are the Holy Grail of the global automotive industry and, as of now, Tesla seems to boss it. Despite facing several roadblocks, Tesla has been able to move ahead with the development of autonomous driving technology at a pace where rivals don’t seem to catch up. Now, the American EV maker has added another feather to its hat.

Tesla has announced that it will offer an upgraded Autopilot functionality for its existing customers in China through a software update. The company says that with this update, Tesla owners in China will be able to experience driving-assistance capabilities similar to its full self-driving (FSD) suite which is offered in the USA.

Tesla Autopilot upgrade

Through a notification on its app, Tesla revealed to its customers that the update will enhance the existing Navigation feature on the Autopilot system by adding features like automatic lane-changing depending on speed and route as well as detecting traffic lights at intersections and deciding whether to turn. An in-car camera will also monitor driver attention.

Furthermore, the system can autonomously switch lanes according to speed and road conditions. If no designated navigation route is provided, the vehicle will determine the most efficient path based on real-time data. Although similar, the new features will be less advanced than the FSD technology that Tesla has been testing for some time now. Last year, Tesla showcased the Cybercab concept which was equipped with FSD. 

Tesla: FSD vs Autopilot

For clarity, FSD is an advanced set of driving-assistance technologies powered by generative artificial intelligence, designed to navigate complex traffic scenarios, while Autopilot manages more routine driving conditions. The Autopilot is less advanced due to insufficient data training on Chinese roads and traffic rules.

In an earnings briefing last month, CEO and Founder of Tesla, Elon Musk revealed that technology restrictions imposed by both the U.S. and Chinese governments had put the company “in a bit of a bind” in deploying FSD. He further stated that Tesla has been using videos of Chinese streets available on the internet to train its AI software as the U.S. prohibits on-site training in China.

Tesla had initially planned to introduce full Autopilot and FSD systems to China by the end of 2024 but it was postponed until this year. Meanwhile, rival EV brands in China have already started deploying advanced autonomous driving features at a much lower price than Tesla. For instance, BYD is offering similar features at $9,555. Tesla’s lowest model price in China is about $32,400.

With inputs from Reuters