Expanded Smart Driving Initiatives by Tesla in China, According to Recent Reports
In the world of electric vehicles (EVs), Tesla continues to make waves with its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system. However, when it comes to expanding this technology beyond the US, the picture is less clear.
Tesla, with its factory in Shanghai - one of China's most EV-friendly first-tier cities - produces the Model 3 and Model Y. But as of August 2025, there is no publicly available information indicating that Tesla has secured regulatory approval to expand its driver assistance system or full self-driving features in China or Europe for 2025.
The US, on the other hand, is a different story. Tesla has obtained regulatory permits for certain advanced autonomous vehicle testing and ride-hailing services, including a robotaxi service without a human safety driver, in Texas. The regulatory environment is evolving, with some federal easing of crash reporting requirements to encourage autonomous vehicle innovation.
Tesla is also actively recruiting drivers for testing of automated systems in New York, but has not yet obtained the necessary permits from the relevant local departments.
Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, has commented on the company's efforts, stating that Tesla is adding data from its world simulator and test tracks to achieve better performance. Tesla has already brought advanced intelligent driving features similar to FSD to its FSD subscribers in China in a software update at the end of February.
Meanwhile, the Chinese market is making strides in autonomous driving. Shanghai today issued a new batch of robotaxi test licenses to companies including Baidu, Pony AI, and WeRide. Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization's deputy director Tang Wenkan announced that Shanghai will deploy 500 ride-hailing vehicles for data collection, aiming to collect over 10 million clips by year-end. Shanghai also plans to establish an autonomous driving large model evaluation system to achieve mass production of end-to-end smart driving models.
Chinese automotive media outlet Dongchedi conducted a large-scale test comparing the smart driving capabilities of dozens of EV models available in China, with Tesla performing well in several categories.
Tesla showcased its EV models, humanoid robot, smart driving assistance technology, and V4 Supercharger at the 2025 World AI Conference in Shanghai, further indicating its commitment to the Chinese market.
As for Tesla's plans to deploy its intelligent driver assistance system (supervised) in China and Europe in 2025, it appears that regulatory approvals or efforts for these regions remain either pending, confidential, or not publicly reported at this time. If updates become available, they may be found through consultations with regional regulatory agencies' announcements or Tesla’s official communications for China and Europe.
In the coming years, Tesla is expected to undergo a transformation from the "pre-autonomous driving era" to the "post-autonomous driving era". But for now, Tesla's regulatory focus and approvals appear to be US-centric based on available data.
- In China, Tesla produces the Model 3 and Model Y at its factory in Shanghai.
- As of August 2025, no information is available about Tesla securing regulatory approval for expanding its driver assistance system or full self-driving features in China or Europe for the year 2025.
- Tesla has obtained regulatory permits for autonomous vehicle testing and ride-hailing services in Texas, including a robotaxi service without a human safety driver.
- The Chinese market is progressing in autonomous driving, with companies like Baidu, Pony AI, and WeRide receiving new robotaxi test licenses in Shanghai.
- Shanghai plans to deploy 500 ride-hailing vehicles for data collection in a bid to collect over 10 million clips by year-end and establish an autonomous driving large model evaluation system.
- Tesla performed well in several categories during a large-scale test of EV models' smart driving capabilities in China, as conducted by Dongchedi.
- Beyond the US, Tesla showcased its EV models, humanoid robot, smart driving assistance technology, and V4 Supercharger at the 2025 World AI Conference in Shanghai, reflecting its commitment to the Chinese market.
- At this time, it seems that regulatory approvals or efforts for deploying Tesla's intelligent driver assistance system (supervised) in China and Europe for 2025 are either pending, confidential, or not publicly reported.
- The future holds anticipation for Tesla's transition from the "pre-autonomous driving era" to the "post-autonomous driving era", but as per current data, its regulatory focus and approvals appear centric to the US.
