It seems like Tesla’s rollout of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities in China has ground to a halt after a rocky start. The Chinese government has required Tesla to rebrand FSD as “Intelligent Assisted Driving” in China, due to the fact that it is still an SAE Level 2 system – and not fully autonomous.
This follows China’s suspension of Tesla’s FSD trials, which had only been underway for a week. Tesla had planned to trial its FSD system from March 17 to April 16, allowing owners who paid the RMB64,000 (approx. RM39k) fee when buying their cars to test out the feature.
Tesla claims its FSD enables autonomous driving with minimal driver input, but drivers are still expected to monitor road conditions. This system includes Enhanced Autopilot, which provides assisted driving on highways, such as on- and off-ramps support, lane changes, and overtaking. Despite its name, FSD isn’t a proper SAE Level 3+ system, where drivers can take their eyes and attention off the road.
SAE stands for Society of Automotive Engineers (International), who has introduced the SAE J3016 standards in partnership with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) current autonomous driving nomenclature standards. The standards are currently the recognised method of defining self-driving capabilities.
SAE Levels go from zero to five, with autonomous capabilities becoming greater the higher the level. From Level 0 through Level 2 means you are still in charge of the vehicle, even if driving assistance features are activated. Starting with Level 3, the car becomes more in control, only needing you to step in if it prompts you. At Level 4 and Level 5, you essentially wouldn’t even need to drive at all, as the system handles everything.
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Since February, China has mandated that carmakers submit technical information on their autonomous driving systems to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), before releasing over-the-air (OTA) updates to their vehicles.
Despite the software making its way onto the cars, it looks like Teslas in China still have a long way to go before they can truly drive themselves. Aside from the naming issue, owners in China are getting fines because their FSD Teslas are driving in bike lanes and making illegal U-turns, Autoblog reports.
One poor driver even got seven fines in a single trip with FSD. China monitors most of its roads with a comprehensive CCTV network, allowing for automatic fines to be issued for rule violations.
Back in Tesla’s home turf in the USA, the carmaker has also faced restrictions, particularly in California. A 2022 ban prohibits Tesla from using the term FSD, with the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) – the equivalent of Malaysia’s JPJ – calling it false advertising.
Closer to home, FSD is also still not available yet, but customers can opt for the feature when ordering their car through Tesla’s websit, for a fee of RM32,000. It is unclear when the feature will be rolled out for Malaysian customers.
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