Tesla Is Working On A Platform That Will Allow Car Owners In China Data Access

Tesla is developing a platform for its customers in China that will allow them to access the data that their vehicle generates, Reuters reports. Tesla aims to launch the data platform this year. The article noted that this is the first time an automaker has announced plans to allow customers to access car data in China, which is the largest car market in the world.

Last month, China published draft rules to ensure the security of data that is generated by smart cars. Automakers have been adding cameras with sensors for years now to collect data on the cars’ surroundings. Reuters pointed out that control of use, sending, and storage of these images is a fast-emerging challenge for the industry and regulators across the globe.

This news follows other reports of Tesla China’s plans to build a data center in Shanghai by the end of next month to process the data collected from its vehicles. Grace Tao, Tesla China’s head of communications and government affairs, confirmed the news and also confirmed that all of the data collected from Tesla’s EVs in China are stored in the country.

How Other Companies Can Benefit

I want to dive into an idea right quick. Tesla is developing a platform that will allow its customers to access the data that their vehicles generate. How is this not more talked about? When Tesla successfully launches this platform, it will be the first of its kind for automakers.

This is, in my opinion, as crucial as its own charging infrastructure. Think about this for a moment: why do robocalls exist? What’s the point of these scams? Essentially, to make money, right? Off of what? Data. True, your car doesn’t provide your personal data, but it provides something uniquely valuable to insurance companies, governmental agencies worldwide (including law enforcement), and, of course, Tesla itself. So, why shouldn’t you have access to the data that your car, which you paid for, generates? Essentially, it’s yours.