After Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed it would be rolling out Starlink internet at U.S. Superchargers, the company has gone on to clarify that it doesn’t plan to use Starlink internet in China.
Tesla reportedly stated that it has no plans to use Starlink service in China’s mainland, emphasizing Chinese data storage protocol would be followed, according to an unnamed source from Tesla China, and as reported by Shanghai Securities News (via CNEVPost).
In China, Tesla uses only network services offered by Chinese communication carriers, and the company also emphasized that any relevant data would be stored within mainland China.
Starlink internet is a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet service developed by Musk’s U.S. space exploration company SpaceX.
SpaceX Starlink Customer Sets Up Incredible Mobile Office at Park [VIDEO] https://t.co/kzvWiNEPYQ
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) November 10, 2021
“Tesla’s manufacturing operations in the Chinese mainland strictly comply with Chinese laws and regulations. All Model 3 and Model Y models manufactured and sold in the Chinese mainland, as well as charging piles, come from Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory in China,” said the unnamed source.
Earlier this year, Tesla established a local data storage site in China to appease previously-expressed privacy concerns from the Chinese government about Tesla’s use of footage from its cameras.
China’s government also banned Tesla vehicles from parking at some government offices.
Earlier this month, Tesla surpassed 8,000 Supercharger stalls across mainland China, with a total of 30,000 Superchargers worldwide reached as of last week.
