Tesla is taking steps to launch FSD Beta in China
Tesla is starting to take steps to launch Full Self-Driving Beta in China, but there are likely some hurdles ahead.
For how much we are complaining about Tesla’s Full Self-Driving package and FSD Beta in North America, we have it good compared to Europe and China, where Tesla has launched even fewer promised features under the package.
Tesla has been selling the Full Self-Driving package, which now costs $15,000, for the better part of a decade now, but it has yet to deliver on the package’s promise to eventually enable autonomous driving through over-the-air software updates.
It is the closest to that goal in North America, where owners have access to FSD Beta, but the feature requires driver attention at all times.
Tesla has yet to have the feature adapted to other markets and have it approved by regulators, including in China, which is Tesla’s biggest market outside of North America.
Earlier this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited Chinese officials, and there were rumors that he was pushing to facilitate the launch of FSD Beta with regulators.
Now local media outlet 36kr reports that Tesla is currently hiring a new team to manage the rollout of FSD Beta into the Chinese market (via Cnevpost):
The US electric vehicle (EV) maker is planning to form a local operations team of around 20 people initially to bring FSD into the Chinese market, local media outlet 36kr said in a report today.
Furthermore, Tesla is also hiring a new team of data labelers in China to help train its neural nets on Chinese roads with different road signs and infrastructure.
The automaker is looking to hire “hundreds” of data labelers, according to the report.
Electrek’s Take
While there is credibility to the report, I don’t think you should hold your breath.
On top of the technical side of things, which is no easy task, it is likely going to be an uphill battle to have the regulator approve it. I wouldn’t expect a launch until next year, but that’s just a guess.
Tesla is financially incentivized to launch FSD Beta in China since it has a fleet there of hundreds of thousands of vehicles that could buy the FSD package to get access to the new features.
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When the $7,500 Federal EV tax credit expired September 30th, a number of carmakers leaped into action, offering rebates, price cuts, and promos of their own in a bid to keep the good times rolling. Now, it seems like even Rolls-Royce is getting in on the act with a fresh $5,000 rebate of its own for November.
CarScoops is reporting a rare lease incentive offering on the ultra-luxe Rolls-Royce Spectre electric coupe that it says, “replaces the expired $7,500 Federal EV tax credit.”
Granted, with the price of the base Spectre starting at $397,750 and climbing quickly to $467,750 for the Spectre Black Badge model, the big coupe is well above the old $80K cap and its buyers likely make far too much to qualify anyway — but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my few brushes with Real Wealth™, it’s this: those hate paying taxes.
As such, it’s not that hard to imagine a Rolls-Royce salesperson explaining this in those terms. “This isn’t a discount or a sale or anything so gaudy,” he’d explain, dismissing any concern as petty as price. “We’re simply honoring the tax credit that you deserve.”
Rolling deep
The Rolls-Royce Spectre first rolled (Ha!) into showrooms in 2023 with a perfect sufficient 430 kW (577 hp) electric motor drawing energy from a stout, 120 kWh battery pack good for up to 265 miles (~425 km) of range. The Black Badge version bumps the horsepower to 650 (485 kW), but the purists will tell you that either number is enough.
You can find out more about Rolls-Royce’ EV leas deals, below, then let us know what you think about this sordid business of “discount dash” in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: CarScoops; images via Rolls-Royce.
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Germany is about to become home to Europe’s largest battery storage system – a massive 1 gigawatt (GW) / 4 gigawatt-hour (GWh) project in Jänschwalde, Brandenburg.
LEAG Clean Power GmbH and Fluence Energy GmbH, a subsidiary of US-based Fluence Energy (NASDAQ: FLNC), are teaming up to build the “GigaBattery Jänschwalde 1000.” The four-hour system will use Fluence’s Smartstack technology, its latest large-scale energy storage solution.
Once complete, Europe’s largest battery storage project will play a key role in stabilizing Germany’s grid and storing renewable power for when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. It’s designed to deliver essential grid services, support energy trading, and boost energy security as the country phases out fossil fuels.
LEAG’s broader “GigawattFactory” plan combines solar and wind farms with flexible power plants and large-scale batteries across Germany’s Lusatian energy region. “By constructing gigascale storage facilities, we’re addressing one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition: ensuring constant power regardless of the availability of renewable energies,” said Adi Roesch, CEO of the LEAG Group.
Fluence CEO Julian Nebreda described the project as a “milestone for the energy future of Germany and Europe,” adding that it demonstrates how collaboration and cutting-edge technology can “transform the foundation of our economy and our everyday lives.”
The German government recently reaffirmed the importance of storage in building a secure and affordable clean power system. With this 4 GWh giant, LEAG and Fluence are implementing that priority in one of Europe’s most coal-heavy regions.
Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2
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