- Tesla CEO Elon Musk proposed launching robotaxis in China to officials on a recent trip to the country
- Musk suggested program would be a good way to test the Full Self-Driving software ahead of fitting it to passenger cars
- Chinese govt officials haven’t officially granted permission for FSD in Tesla passengers cars according to the same report, contradicting earlier story
Tesla has confirmed that it will reveal its first robotaxi in August, and China is looking like a strong candidate to get a fleet of self-driving Tesla cabs. CEO Elon Musk reportedly pitched the idea of sending a fleet of robotaxis onto China’s streets to test its Full Self-Driving autonomous tech ahead of offering it in customer cars.
During his recent visit to China, Musk suggested testing Tesla’s FSD system on public roads, according to the China Daily newspaper, and Chinese state reps seemed more than open to the idea. Officials told Tesla’s boss that China’s government “welcomes Tesla to do some robotaxi tests in the country,” according to Wednesday’s report, adding that it hoped Tesla could “set a good example.”
Related: Tesla RoboTaxi To Debut August 8
The story also throws shade on an earlier report suggesting that Elon Musk had secured full state approval for the rollout of FSD tech at the meeting. China Daily says Tesla is still waiting for the go-ahead to collect and transfer data needed by its cars’ autonomous systems and that Musk didn’t discuss this matter in detail during the visit.
But Tesla did make progress in other areas during Musk’s trip, according to Reuters, including gaining approval for Model 3 and Model Y EVs to be allowed into parts of China that were previously off-limits due to data security concerns. Free-roaming access was unlocked after Tesla’s cars were judged to comply with data-security regulations by one of the country’s leading automotive associations.
Last month Elon Musk announced the launch of the company’s long-awaited driverless cab with a simple tweet on X that read: “Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8.”
Almost eight years have passed since Musk set out his vision for a driverless future in “Master Plan, Part Deux.” In it, he suggested that owners of autonomous cars could earn money hiring out their EVs for rides and that Tesla itself would operate fleets of robotaxis in places where demand for cars outstripped supply.