Elon Musk’s company, Tesla Inc, was forced to do business with Baidu Inc in China despite the CEO’s 2019 assertions that relying on maps are “false and foolish”

Elon Musk, who has long maintained that his business can someday provide self-driving cars without high-definition maps, may have to eat his words as Tesla solidified its strategic agreement with Baidu Inc. in China.

Five years ago, the CEO informed investors that Tesla “briefly barked up the tree” when it realized using traffic lane-level maps for its driver-assistance systems was “a huge mistake.” According to Musk, the best course of action is to use artificial intelligence systems that are adaptive and capable of instantly identifying modifications to roads.

“The two main crutches that should not be used, and will in retrospect be obviously false and foolish, are lidar and HD maps,” Musk said in April 2019, referring to light detection and ranging sensors, and high-definition maps. “Mark my words.”

Musk said it’s best to use artificial intelligence systems that are capable of identifying road changes ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Not because Musk has changed his mind, but because that prognosis might no longer hold true, at least in China. He had no option but to work with a local partner to obtain a mapping license in order to launch the system his company calls Full Self-Driving.

Automakers who want to sell sophisticated DSS systems in the nation have to fulfill a requirement known as a “map-surveying qualification,” which covers a wide variety of mapping programs. This classification may even apply to AI-driven systems that use their detecting hardware to efficiently create maps on the fly.

The agreement was essential to Tesla’s self-driving technology ( 
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
Only about 20 companies in China, including Beijing-based Baidu, have received the top-level qualification, which calls for a number of certified examiners, an independent mapping and navigation system, and a more sophisticated equipment set. For concerns of national security, China fiercely guards its geographic data.

Tesla cannot be eligible for FSD without collaborating with one of the Chinese companies or geographic information departments that make up the majority of certified surveyors. The automaker’s agreement with Baidu was essential to getting in-principle permission for its technology, which doesn’t make its cars autonomous and needs continual human supervision.

The specifics of the deal are still unknown at this time

It’s unclear exactly how Tesla and Baidu will work together, how lane-level precision mapping configurations will be incorporated into the driving system, and whether the automaker will need to modify FSD in order to use the maps provided by the Chinese internet giant. Since 2020, Tesla has used Baidu for mapping and navigation in Chinese cars.

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The CEO and founder of stock research firm JL Warren Capital, Junheng Li, is confident that Baidu would grant Tesla the necessary mapping license to gather driving data, oversee that collection, and store, redact, and organize the data.

It is unlikely that Tesla will suddenly start depending on HD maps going forward, according to BloombergNEF analyst Andrew Grant. Instead, the business has been working to develop a system that learns from human driving patterns.