Tesla

Chinese Tesla owners push limits of self-driving on toughest mountain terrain in most extreme testing

  • Tesla owners in China has been testing Full Self-Drive
  • Tesla launched a free trial of FSD
  • Footage has shown Tesla owners putting it to the test 

Published on Apr 01, 2025 at 11:26 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid

Last updated on Apr 01, 2025 at 3:41 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

Tesla owners in China have been seen pushing their EVs’ Full Self-Drive (FSD) function to the limits by driving them across tough terrain.

Last month, it introduced a limited version of its FSD in China, allowing owners to use its driver-assist features. 

Tesla announced in February that it would launch a free trial of FSD between March 17 and April 16. 

Footage shared online has shown that some drivers are already putting it to the test by taking their EVs out on just about every sort of terrain.

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Tesla owners are putting Full Self-Drive to the test

For those unaware, Tesla’s FSD offers drivers enhanced and advanced assisted driving features for its EVs.

“With Full Self-Driving (FSD) (Supervised), you will get access to a suite of more advanced driver assistance features, designed to provide more active guidance and assisted driving under your active supervision,” the company explains on its website. 

Those interested in taking advantage of FSD will need to fork out for a subscription, but the carmaker recently waived the fee to allow customers in China a free trial. 

Shortly after the trial was launched, footage began to pop up online showing Tesla owners taking their EVs out onto some rough and tough terrains. 

In one clip, the car is seen carefully making its way along a narrow mountainous road with what looks like a fairly steep drop on one side. 

Another showed a similarly steep and narrow road being climbed, with the car’s driver and passenger heard yelling with excitement. 

Someone else opted to take their EV along a risky single-lane road that ran directly next to a river. 

The FSD roll-out hasn’t gone smoothly in China

Although Tesla only launched its Full Self-Drive in China in mid-March, the free trial was temporarily suspended by Monday, March 24. 

“All parties are actively advancing the relevant process and we will push it to you as soon as it is ready. We are also looking forward to it, please wait patiently,” Tesla’s customer support said on the Weibo social media platform, as per Reuters. 

A couple of days on the automaker changed the name of the feature from Full Self-Driving to ‘Intelligent Assisted Driving’ on its Chinese website. 

Unlike in the US, Chinese data laws mean that the company has been unable to train its FSD system using data from Tesla owners. 

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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.