Tesla clears another hurdle to launching full self-driving in China

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Tesla is one step closer to launching full-self driving (FSD) technology in China after it clinched an agreement with Baidu to upgrade its mapping software.

The Chinese tech giant said Saturday that it was providing lane-level navigation services for Tesla cars. Baidu (BIDU) says this level of navigation can provide drivers with detailed information, including making lane recommendations ahead of upcoming turns, to enhance safety.

Experts said during Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk’s surprise visit to China at the end of April that one of his main hurdles in securing government approval to rollout the company’s FSD software was reaching a mapping and navigation deal with Baidu.

“With the support of Baidu’s lane-level map, Tesla’s navigation can accurately render lane changes on the road the user is currently on, upgrading from providing road-level guidance to providing lane-level guidance,” Baidu said in the statement.

China’s answer to Google has been been providing mapping services to Tesla since 2020. But prior to Saturday’s announcement, its services had been limited to “road-level” information, which is less precise than lane-level navigation.

A day earlier, Tesla launched its new software upgrade for users in urban areas in China, the world’s biggest car market, saying in a statement on WeChat that such detailed road information was being made available “for the first time.”

CNN has reached out to Tesla for comment. On Monday, Baidu declined further comment.

Virtually all Teslas have a driver-assistance system called Autopilot, while the more