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Three people with knowledge of the matter said Tesla is preparing to register its ‘Full Self-Driving’ software with authorities in China before rolling out the technologically advanced feature this year.
They said the U.S. electric vehicle maker is also considering selling the software as a monthly subscription to car users in China, its second-largest market.
Two of the people said a successful software registration with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will pave the way for Tesla to internally test Full Self-Driving (FSD) by having its employees drive on China’s public roads before delivering it as an upgrade to its Chinese users in the coming months.
The company currently offers two less-advanced versions of its Autopilot driver assistance system in China.
Tesla currently charges its vehicle owners a one-time 64,000 yuan ($8,828.32) fee for access to FSD. However, the company said it may also offer the service for a monthly fee equivalent to about $98 in the future.
Reuters has reported previously that Tesla is also considering licensing FSD to other automakers in China. FSD sales in China would open a new source of revenue for the EV maker, which has seen its sales volumes fall by 7.6% in the first four months of the year due to increased discounting and competition from Chinese EV makers.
Tesla’s push to roll out FSD in China would “pressure other EV startups to accelerate their research and development,” said Yale Zhang, managing director at Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight.
The previously unreported schedule for the rollout comes as Tesla is doubling down on efforts to power the global development of its self-driving system with data collected and processed in China, part of a strategic shift by CEO Elon Musk.
The automaker is working to bring version 12 of FSD to China, the latest version of the software that Musk has said gave him confidence that Tesla had a path to delivering fully autonomous driving systems.
Tesla did not reply to a request for comment. The sources asked not to be named because the plans are private.
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