Tesla received approval to test its self-driving assistance system, Full Self-Driving Capability (FSD), in Shanghai, China. On the day of approval, Tesla’s stock price rebounded by more than 5%.
On June 17, Tesla’s stock price closed at $187.44 on the New York Stock Exchange, up 5.3% from the previous day. Bloomberg and Chinese economic media outlet Caixin Global reported that Tesla received approval for road testing its FSD system in Shanghai. According to the report, Tesla also has the potential to gain approval in Hangzhou.
Tesla’s self-driving assistance system is based on Autopilot and has FSD, an advanced option, as an option. So far, only the basic autopilot system has been provided in China. FSD could not be launched due to data regulations. However, the possibility of launching FSD in China has emerged as Tesla CEO Elon Musk is said to have discussed this issue when he visited Beijing, China, and met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang of the State Council in April 2024.
Finally, on June 10, 2024, news came that Tesla had agreed to receive upgraded map software from Baidu. According to China’s regulations, all self-driving-related systems must obtain mapping-related qualifications before operating on public roads. Furthermore, foreign companies such as Tesla must partner with licensed Chinese companies.
If FSD is activated in China, local sales will increase significantly. However, it only attracted attention because it expanded its limitations compared to competitors’ self-driving systems. Furthermore, there are concerns that the system’s name, Full Self, could manipulate drivers’ blind faith.
Meanwhile, before China’s FSD road driving approval, an accident occurred in the US in which a Tesla running in autonomous mode (Autopilot) collided with a police car.
According to the Fullerton Police Department in California, US, on June 14, 2024, a self-driving Tesla collided with a police car that was stopped to handle a traffic accident at a road intersection near Los Angeles. After news of the accident broke, Tesla’s stock price closed at $178.01, down 2.44% from the previous day.
Regarding this accident, the Fullerton Police Department said, “The driver of the Tesla vehicle admitted that he was using his cell phone with Autopilot, a self-driving function, activated at the time of the accident.”
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