Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is making waves in China, and it’s already surpassing expectations despite never being officially available outside North America—until now.
Early users are reporting that the system is performing shockingly well on Chinese roads, adapting almost instantly to new traffic laws and signs. But how did Tesla pull this off so quickly?
According to Elon Musk, the answer is simple: video-based learning.
How Tesla’s FSD Learned China’s Roads—Before Ever Driving on Them
On Tuesday, Tesla fans on X (formerly Twitter) were amazed at how seamlessly FSD had adapted to China’s unique traffic system. Unlike traditional self-driving programs, which require years of direct training on real-world roads, Tesla’s system appears to have been pre-trained—without ever touching Chinese asphalt.
How?
Musk explained that Tesla’s neural network used publicly available internet videos of China’s roads and traffic signs, feeding them into its simulation training system.
“We just used publicly available video on the Internet of roads and signs in China and used that to train in sim,” Musk revealed.
This means Tesla didn’t have to rewrite software or develop new rules for China. Instead, its AI-driven system watched videos, analyzed patterns, and simulated real-world driving experiences before even hitting Chinese streets.
A Breakthrough in AI Training for Self-Driving Cars
Tesla’s ability to train FSD using only video and simulations marks a major breakthrough in AI-powered self-driving technology.
The company has long pushed for a vision-based approach, eliminating reliance on expensive Lidar sensors that other self-driving programs depend on. Instead, Tesla’s FSD learns to drive like a human would—by watching and reacting to real-world scenarios.
This method was first highlighted in FSD (Supervised) v12, a version Musk and his engineers called a “major leap” toward full autonomy.
According to Tesla’s 2023 release notes:
“FSD (Supervised) v12 upgrades the city-streets driving stack to a single end-to-end neural network trained on millions of video clips, replacing over 300k lines of explicit C++ code.”
Now, well into FSD v13, Tesla’s AI-powered driving system is proving its ability to scale worldwide, and China is its first major test outside North America.
China’s Strict Regulations & What’s Next for FSD
While Tesla is rolling out the FSD-based driving system in China, it’s not officially called “Full Self-Driving” yet. This is due to China’s strict data privacy laws, which require additional approvals for collecting real-world driving data.
However, now that Tesla has successfully launched its vision-based system in one of the world’s most complex driving environments, it raises a bigger question:
Where will Tesla take FSD next?
With Europe, India, and other major markets still awaiting rollout, Tesla’s rapid adaptation in China proves that its self-driving software is more scalable than ever.
The competition is heating up, and as multiple companies race toward commercial autonomy, Tesla’s unique approach is already shaking up the global market.