Made-in-China Tesla cars wait to be shipped overseas outside its factory in Shanghai in October 2020. Photo:cnsphoto

US new-energy vehicle (NEV) maker Tesla is developing a platform that would provide access for its users to view driving data, which would make Tesla the first company to share such data with users, according to a report by Beijing Daily. The platform is expected to be put into operation within the year, the report said.

The move comes shortly after a Chinese Tesla user protested about a brake problem by climbing on top of a Tesla car at this year's Shanghai Auto show on April 19. The incident caused controversy and some public anger toward Tesla.

Tesla responded by providing the user with driving data for the 30-minute period before the accident as per the market regulator's requirements. It also released the driving data for one minute before the accident to the public.

Citing comments from Tesla, Beijing Daily said that as more consumers choose smart NEVs, driving data is drawing more public attention, so it will be important for NEV makers' relationship with consumers in the future. It will also be important in terms of data security for smart NEVs.

According to the regulator's requirements, NEV makers in China must establish a safety status monitoring platform for their cars. And market regulators, law enforcers and enterprises have the right to use the data while consumers have the right to be informed about the data, the Beijing Daily report said.

For the sake of protecting privacy, Tesla users can only get the data after they submit a written request. But once the data sharing platform is completed, users will be able to check the driving data by themselves.

According to the report, Tesla's driving data is stored in event data recorders (EDR) on each car, and the data cannot be changed or modified.

A Weibo user said that sharing the data is the first step in better protecting car owners' interests, and the country should have legislation for EDR management.

Global Times