Chinese internet search giant Baidu will provide Tesla with mapping software for its electric vehicles (EVs), paving the way for the US carmaker to launch its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system on the mainland.
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.
This development shows that Tesla, which has been using Baidu for in-car mapping and navigation in China since 2020, could move closer to introducing its FSD system on the mainland. Baidu is one of only around 20 entities in China that have been granted a top-level, map-surveying qualification for advanced driver-assistance systems in the country.