Baidu’s map service paves way for Tesla’s launch of self-driving system in China - South China Morning Post

Version 20 of Baidu Maps, a desktop and mobile web-mapping application released in April, will soon be available on Tesla’s EVs, the Beijing-based artificial intelligence (AI) champion said in a post on microblogging platform Weibo on Monday.

Baidu Maps’ new lane-level, 3D navigation software will have a user interface that is “more intuitive” and “better suited” for Tesla, according to a road test video the Chinese firm posted on Weibo. The V20’s capabilities include traffic light countdowns, lane instructions and surveillance alerts.

Baidu Maps’ new lane-level, 3D navigation software will soon be available to Tesla electric vehicle owners on the mainland. Photo: Weibo

Mapping data is also one of the most guarded categories of information on the mainland, where the popular Google Maps service is not officially available and displays some incorrect coordinates that China distorts.

Baidu, meanwhile, apologised on Weibo for the delay in making its mapping service’s latest version available to Tesla EV owners on the mainland. The company said it was “sorry for keeping everyone waiting” and that Baidu Maps for Tesla will be available “very soon”.

At the April launch of Baidu Maps V20, the company said the service’s new version will roll out in May for a number of vehicles including those from Tesla, Huawei Technologies and JiYue, an EV brand established in 2021 by Baidu and Geely.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, in Beijing on April 28, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Musk had sought consent to operate a robotaxi business on the mainland during a discussion with the country’s top policymakers in April, according to a report by state-run newspaper China Daily. Beijing will grant Tesla such a licence to show the government’s positive stance on economic ties with the United States, the report said.

Tesla is preparing to register its FSD software with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and plans to roll out the system on the mainland this year, according to a Reuters report last week, citing anonymous sources.

The potential launch is expected to boost the adoption of autonomous driving in China, even though it might not be able to shake up the industry because Tesla’s local rivals are offering similar technologies, according to Ming Lee, head of Greater China Autos Research at Bank of America, in a South China Morning Post report last month.

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