He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng, is currently in the United States and has tested Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software as the company prepares to introduce the feature in China this year.
“I’m visiting the US for a longer period of time this time and dropping by to test the latest version of FSD and Waymo version,” He Xiaopeng wrote on Weibo today. He mentioned using the Tesla FSD V12.3.6 version and requested access to the 12.4.1 internal beta if available, reports CnEVPost.
He also engaged his followers, asking for their input on what comparisons they would like to see between Tesla’s FSD and Xpeng’s XNGP (Xpeng Navigation Guided Pilot). According to his Weibo location, He is currently in San Francisco.
An image shared by He on Weibo shows the version of Tesla’s FSD software he is testing.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk made an unannounced visit to China at the end of April. Bloomberg reported that Musk sought approval for the FSD driver assistance software during his visit. Tesla has partnered with Baidu on mapping and navigation features, clearing a significant hurdle to launching the advanced assisted driving feature in China.
On Weibo, He welcomed Tesla’s FSD to China, praising Tesla’s autonomous driving technology and brand. He emphasized that the entry of more advanced products and technologies would enhance market competition, improve customer experiences, and accelerate market development.
Recent progress indicates that Tesla’s FSD is closer to entering the Chinese market. On May 30, Reuters reported that Tesla was preparing to register its FSD software with Chinese authorities, aiming for a launch this year. Once registered with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Tesla employees will be able to conduct internal testing of FSD on public roads in China, eventually making it available to Chinese users.
On June 14, local media outlet SH Observer reported that Shanghai’s Nanhui New Town was facilitating a pilot test of FSD with 10 Tesla vehicles.
In China, all Tesla vehicles come with free Basic Autopilot (BAP) software. Tesla also offers Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) and FSD software options for RMB 32,000 ($4,410) and RMB 64,000, respectively. Currently, without algorithm training for Chinese road conditions, the EAP and FSD perform similarly to the free BAP, though additional features like summoning are available.
Tesla’s FSD V12 has shown promising results, making its end-to-end large model technology an emerging industry standard. More Chinese automakers are beginning to experiment with this approach. In May, Xpeng announced that its urban NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) already covers more than 300 cities using end-to-end technology.