Tesla-Baidu Mapping Agreement: Clearing the Way for Autonomous Driving in China

In a major development for Tesla, the Chinese Internet search giant Baidu has agreed to provide the car company with access to its mapping license. This agreement is critical for Tesla’s implementation of autonomous driving in China and will enable the company to deploy advanced driver assistance features in the Chinese market.

According to economic news portal Yicai, the agreement allows Tesla to utilize Baidu’s license for data collection on Chinese public roads and integrate its lane-level navigation system into Tesla vehicles. Obtaining these permits is significant for Tesla as it removes a key regulatory hurdle for introducing self-driving features in China.

The agreement comes at a time of rapid growth in the smart vehicle market in China, with an industry association recently publishing a list of 76 connected car models that meet data security requirements in China, including Tesla and other manufacturers like BYD, Li Auto, and NIO. To comply with Chinese regulations, Tesla has taken measures such as establishing a data center in Shanghai to process data from Chinese consumers according to local laws.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently made a surprise visit to Beijing to discuss enabling autonomous driving mode in the company’s cars in China. During his visit, he praised the success of the Tesla factory in Shanghai, which produced over 710,000 vehicles in 2022. Musk expressed optimism about the future of electric vehicles, stating that all cars will be electric in the future.