Tesla, one of the leaders of electric vehicles and related fields has major news. Recently, the company was deemed the most valuable car manufacturer. To add to that, the company now focuses on expanding into other nations.
The expansion process for Tesla is a bit more different than the ones that other carmakers have to face. This new challenge is the formation of Tesla service centers and charging stations. Now, as per sources, Tesla might be heading to Russia, and also might have gotten banned from Chinese government property.
Tesla’s Troubles In China
The problems that Tesla faces in China is a long and varied lineup of issues. Recently, Chinese officials have also made the ban on Tesla models on Chinese government-owned property. Meaning that Chinese government offices will be definite no parking zones for Tesla owners in China.
Why is there a ban on Tesla Models entering Chinese government property? Nowadays, cars are becoming more modern and sophisticated. Meaning that cars start to have minds of their own in a sense because they have computers inside.
Information is a key factor in the 21st century, in all fields of life, and the Chinese officials know of this fact very well. Tesla Models are one of the most sophisticated cars in the world. So, the Chinese government is a bit anxious about the fact that the Tesla, when parked in sensitive places, like military bases can collect info.
This ban can into effect because of the growing concerns that the EVs might collect and store data, which raises a flag for the Chinese government. In both, Beijing, and Shanghai, the government has verbally instructed Tesla vehicle owners to not park near government offices.
Moreover, Tesla’s autopilot feature should have cameras all around the car to work. These cameras can collect data for autopilot, parking assist, self-driving, which includes, driving and steering the car. This issue is the reason the Chinese government has been hard on Tesla.
Tesla’s Response To The Chinese Government
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, denied that the cars would threaten a country like China. Musk, even went as far as to say that, if the company used cars as spying probes in China or anywhere else in the world, it would be shut down. This comment came days after the March ban on Tesla vehicles in military complexes in China.
For Tesla, China is the second-biggest EV market after the US. Moreover, 30% of Tesla’s sales come from China. China is also the first country where they built a Gigafactory outside of California. The Gigafactory, located in Shanghai, produces various Tesla models like the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y SUVs.
Tesla also clarified that the cameras were activated anywhere outside of North America. Also stating that customers who reside in the US had the option to turn off these cameras too.
Ending Note
This ban is bad news for the EV manufacturer because it becomes a source of bad press and unwanted eyes into the tech. Granted, the Chinese government has been a bit hard on Tesla too. But, all that we can do is watch and see what will happen.
