Musk expects China to approve fully autonomous driving by year end

Beijing – Tesla CEO Elon Musk It once again touted its upcoming advanced driver assistance software in China, following reports that Another quarter of disappointing earnings.

Since last year, Driving assistance has become a selling point China’s competitive electric vehicle market is offering more choices for electric cars, and Chinese authorities are beginning to support some companies in putting limited driver-assistance technology on roads.

Tesla’s Highway Autopilot is available locally, but not Full Self-Driving, which uses cameras and artificial intelligence to enable the car to automatically park, change lanes and slow down at stop signs. FSD is an upgraded version of Tesla’s Autopilot driving assistant. Tesla has been offering a limited version of its FSD technology in China for years for interested customers.

“Soon, we’ll be applying to regulators in Europe, China, and other countries for approval of Tesla-regulated FSD,” Musk said during a second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday Beijing time. “I think we’ll likely get approval by the end of the year,” according to a FactSet transcript.

Musk has long promised investors that Tesla’s future products or services will be available soon, even if they are just concepts at the moment. In a recent earnings call, he announced that Tesla’s self-driving taxi event will be delayed until October, after previously saying it would take place in August.

Musk said in April that FSD might be launched in China soon. Answer questions about X.

About a week after posting his social media posts, Musk made a surprise appearance in Beijing to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang as the city hosted its first major auto show in four years. Restrictions on Tesla vehicles lifted After the company’s domestically produced vehicles passed domestic data security requirements.

Currently, Full Self-Driving is only available in the U.S. and Canada. China accounts for about 22% of Tesla’s sales.

Tesla has yet to make or sell a car that can fully drive itself. The company sells a “Level 2” driver-assistance system, which it brands as FSD. Chinese companies often label their versions with the word “Navigation.”

Musk’s company was sued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles for false advertising of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving driver-assist systems.

Tesla responded by saying the DMV had known about its use of the brand names for years but chose not to take action. The company argued that California’s law on advertising its self-driving system violated free speech.

From tech giant Huawei to electric car startups Xpeng Motors Selling driving assistance features in China. Xpeng Motors expanded its Driving assistance software enters Shanghai city streets Next is Beijing.

“Tesla’s current FSD technology is somewhat behind its competitors in China,” said Shay Natarajan, a North American partner at Mobility Impact Partners, a private equity fund that invests in transportation.

“When comparing Tesla’s FSD to other L2 self-driving products in China, I found two main highlights,” she said.NIO is a leader in autonomous driving technology. Their sensor inputs include cameras, radar, lidar, and ultrasonic sensors. It’s the best of all worlds and can sense the surrounding environment with very high accuracy and redundancy.”

Natarajan pointed out that NIO charges about $55 per month for its driver assistance features, which is about half of what Tesla charges for FSD in the U.S.

Tesla recently made significant changes to its driver-assistance software, sold in the U.S. under the names Autopilot and FSD-S (Full Self-Driving Supervisor), which has generated excitement and praise from the automaker’s many fans and owners.

—CNBC’s Ryan Browne and Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.

CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to clarify that a limited version of Tesla’s FSD product is now available in China.