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XPeng's adoption of Tesla’s vision-only FSD technology aligns with Beijing's latest self-driving Robotaxi rules, advancing the autonomous driving landscape.
According to Notebookcheck.net, after hearing that its Apollo robotaxi service was turning a profit, Baidu, a mapping provider, saw its stock price soar, signaling that China is getting ready for the age of mass autonomous driving.
Taxi drivers in Wuhan, a city that calls itself "the world’s largest autonomous-driving operation service region," are taking issue with Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis, which provides cheaper alternatives to traditional taxis.
Beijing Eases Robotaxi Regulations
Not only has Wuhan legalized robotaxis on public roads, but other major cities such as Shenzhen and Shanghai have done the same. Tesla was just granted authorization to test FSD in Shanghai. Bloomberg shares that legislation to loosen restrictions on robotaxis in the capital has also been developed in Beijing.
Using Baidu's mapping and navigation services, Tesla has successfully met the regulations set by the Chinese government regarding car autonomy.
On August 8, Tesla's CEO will unveil both the Cybercab ride-share platform and a standalone Robotaxi.
Chinese Automakers Follow Tesla's Lead
It is said that Tesla would test its Robotaxi in China first because the country is ahead of the curve when it comes to regulating and implementing driverless cabs.
When it comes to autonomous driving, it appears that Chinese automakers are also taking a page out of Tesla's playbook to reduce production costs. They have always used more sensors, LiDAR, and cameras for it than Tesla.
Per CnEVPost, XPeng, a Chinese leader in autonomous technolog, hinted at its upcoming P7+ car, which will ostensibly forego the costly LiDAR in favor of Tesla's Vision-only camera strategy.
The CEO recently visited the US and tried out Tesla's FSD feature, which could have been the decisive factor.
Potential Validation for Tesla's FSD System
If Tesla were to follow XPeng's lead and equip their production vehicles with LiDAR, it would prove that their camera-only FSD system is practical.
