Visitors look at a Tesla vehicle at the China International Digital Economy Expo 2023 in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Sept. 6, 2023. The China International Digital Economy Expo 2023 kicked off here on Wednesday, focusing on the development of the industrial internet.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
US electric car maker Tesla said its Full Self-Driving (FSD) function is now in progress to deploy in the Chinese market, as reported by the Chinese media outlet CHINAFUND on Thursday, citing sources from Tesla China.

Market observers said the news may be linked to a recent official document for autopilot vehicles’ road access issued by a government department, according to the report.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with three other government departments, co-issued a document to conduct intelligent connected vehicle access and set trial points for road tests targeting L3 and L4 autopilot vehicles. The document firstly lists rules for accident liability judgment.

L3 capabilities do not require hands on the steering wheel, allowing drivers to safely take their attention off the road in certain traffic conditions. L4 capabilities allow a vehicle to operate without a driver’s active intervention.

The entry of Tesla’s FSD has been under the spotlight across the industry, especially for its Chinese rivals. However, the source didn’t mention the exact time of the entry, according to the report.

According to Tesla’s official website, FSD is the most advanced self-driving technology that will help the vehicle to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention and will continuously improve.

Another two self-driving technologies, Autopilot and Enhanced Autopilot, are now available for Chinese consumers. Autopilot is free to use, and Enhanced Autopilot is sold for 32,000 yuan ($4,514.13).

In order to promote FSD in the Chinese market, Tesla China established a data center in Shanghai in 2021 to collect and process data to comply with relevant regulations and built a special team to facilitate FSD, according to the report.