Tesla EVs banned from China government compounds

According to news published by Reuters on Friday, China has exercised a ban on all Tesla EVs from its government agencies and compounds, which means that you will not be able to enter the premises of these buildings in your Tesla cars. The vehicles will also not be allowed to park inside these areas. Thus, Chinese people who own the brand will actually have very few options to roam about in, in their cars. The standoff is based on a series of apprehensions that the Chinese Communist Party has been holding regarding the innovations and technologies that are a part of the evolution of Tesla’s vehicles. The latest vehicle technology can actually track how the driver uses the vehicle, giving exact location details of the person and nature of visit details. This has made the government authorities wary of the presence of a Tesla in its vicinity. Earlier on, the Chinese government had banned the brand’s vehicles in and around military compounds this year. This step is to take things another step forward. 

The brand does not have a public relations desk that can effectively answer or comment on these developments regarding its products and technology in China. Therefore, it has not been possible to receive their feedback about these developments. On the occasion of the ban of Tesla vehicles near military compounds early this year, the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, had commented on diminishing the fear around the cars spying on the behaviours of their owners. The comments that came in from him at that point in time was indicative of the commitment of Tesla towards maintaining strict protocols. He had said the company would be effectively shut down if it possibly traced the drivers and spied on their daily activities, whether that was in China or anywhere else in the world. The onboard cameras and sensors are for security purposes only and may help the owner with face recognition and other cognitive features. But they are not designed to spy on the owners or drivers, or visitors. 

The Chinese government, however, has not taken wisely to the declaration and continues to maintain a grip on the brand’s car movements in the country because it assumes that the sensors and cameras are capable of tracking or recording sensitive information of the drivers and splash it on the Cybernet of Tesla. There are other vehicles that have similar gadgets and automation using parallel technology. However, the government has specifically targeted the ban on Tesla products. This apprehension series had triggered Tesla to issue a statement recently that it will develop a China-specific data centre and allow owners to manage the data that comes in from vehicles plying in the country. Being one of the most important markets of Tesla’s business, the country suddenly turning hostile t the brand may down the response it enjoys from the Chinese markets. Therefore, in order to sell its EVs in large number and continue operating its production plant, the brand has tried to maintain good relations with the authorities here. China is not only the best market for new vehicles in the world market but also the largest market for electric vehicles.