The troops and horses have not moved yet, but the food and grass go first?There is no timetable for FSD to fully enter China, but job recruitment is already quietly being prepared. No, Tesla Shanghai has just opened a new position: smart driving test engineer. The job responsibilities point to a very clear core, which is FSD - not only working directly with Tesla AI and vehicle firmware teams, but also testing existing and upcoming regulatory and rating protocols...
The previous position related to "intelligent driving" - intelligent driving functional safety tester, has now removed its recruitment information, perhaps it has already found candidates.
Now that Tesla’s data center and AI training center in China are in place, and FSD is coming in full force, we may just have to wait for the regulatory green light.
Tesla Shanghai recruits smart driving test engineers
Tesla Shanghai’s official recruitment page has updated a new “smart driving” position: smart driving test engineer.
From the perspective of responsibilities, the positioning of this position has actually exceeded the traditional automobile testing position, and the comprehensive ability requirements are very high:
The department to which the position belongs is the autonomous driving Autopilot team in the R&D position. Although FSD is not clearly marked, it points to FSD everywhere.
There are a few details that are quite special:
For example, engineers will "work closely with the Tesla AI and vehicle firmware teams to formulate judgment criteria and implement solutions." In other words, this position is directly involved in the algorithm iteration closed loop of FSD.
Problems discovered by test engineers will enter the data set screening logic for AI training and may even affect the judgment criteria of the end-to-end neural network. This can actually better build a localized judgment system for the Chinese version of FSD.
Another detail is to "test existing and upcoming regulatory and rating protocols and cooperate with external agencies."
This signal is more obvious, which means that Tesla is preparing to contact China's new car evaluation regulations and relevant regulatory agencies to pave the way for subsequent large-scale push.
Looking at the job requirements, there are also subtleties.
In addition to the general technical requirements of having both software and hardware capabilities and experience in data recording and analysis, the position also requires the ability to drive prototype cars that may lack safety configurations. A background in motorsports and driving-related hobbies are bonus points.
The recruitment information clearly states that engineers need the flexibility to travel to many places at home and abroad to conduct vehicle testing on public roads, racetracks and proving grounds.
But the main place of work is still in Lingang, Shanghai.
This is the location of Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory, and it is also an important location for the FSD pilot program in China - it was here that Tesla obtained its first road test license in China.
Not only that, Tesla’s self-built localized data center and the recently launched Tesla China AI training center are also in Shanghai Lingang.
In this way, FSD can be trained within China, and the data does not need to leave the country. The complete closed loop of "data collection-local storage-local training-vehicle deployment-continuous iteration" is in place, just waiting for the green light of regulatory approval.
In fact, Tesla had already begun recruiting domestic talents for FSD even earlier.
In November last year, Tesla Shanghai recruited the position of "intelligent driving functional safety tester", which required cooperation in the development and verification of Autopilot performance. It also required tracking changes in domestic autonomous driving assistance system regulations and certifications.
However, the position is no longer available when searching for "intelligent driving", and the ideal candidate may have been recruited.
In December last year, Tesla Shanghai urgently recruited a low-voltage electrical engineer, and it is still recruiting.
The low-voltage hardware team to which this position belongs is mainly responsible for designing the core circuit board of Tesla Robotaxi.
These circuit boards control hundreds of devices included in all Robotaxi electrical systems, such as motors, actuators, sensors, and LED lights.
Although Tesla Vice President Tao Lin recently made it clear that there is "no specific timetable" for FSD to fully enter China, judging from various actions, Tesla is indeed paving the way for FSD.
Tesla China debuts customized “automation” program
Compared with the full opening of FSD, OTA will arrive earlier before the Spring Festival. Tesla first updated a wave of surprises for Chinese car owners——
Tesla launched the "automation" function in the recently updated version 2025.45.32.1. Car owners can use this function to customize their vehicles in advance.
This function uses an "if...then..." logic: when the vehicle detects that an event occurs and certain conditions are met, it will automatically perform a predefined operation.
For example, car owners can set the vehicle to prompt "Please don't forget your mobile phone" when the driver's door is open and there is a mobile phone on the wireless charger.
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The principle of this function is actually a simplified automotive script engine, using a three-step logical process similar to iOS shortcut instructions or Android Tasker. It can be roughly understood as:
Event: Something happens, such as the driver's door opening;
Condition: A specific state must be met, such as the driver is seated;
Operation: The car performs a task, such as playing a voice message.
Speaking of automation functions, Tesla has actually introduced them before, such as automatically turning on the interior lights when the door is opened, etc.
However, similar functions have always relied on APIs, OBD ports, etc. provided by third parties.
The most noteworthy thing about this update is that it supports car owner customization, which means that car owners can use the available conditions and operations of the system in any combination. The types are very rich, and Tesla has also classified trigger conditions and operations.
The conditions that can trigger the function include gear shifting, specific speed thresholds, seat occupancy sensor status, etc.; it can also be triggered by environmental conditions, such as time, outdoor light intensity, interior temperature, etc.; car owners can also trigger it through voice commands.
Once the set conditions are met, the vehicle will execute specific instructions, such as adjusting temperature, interior lighting, adjusting driving dynamics in real time, etc.
This automation APP displays all automated processes in a grid view, up to six at a time, with a short description next to each process.
In addition to the automated program, this OTA has also updated some other interesting content at the request of car owners:
For example, you can say "Hey, Tesla" to wake up the car with voice, and it is also connected to Kugou Music, a new QQ Music accompaniment mode, optimized driving recorder storage time, etc.
However, the most exciting thing for car owners is probably the access to WeChat, which has launched two major functions: "WeChat Internet" and "Destination Service".
Users can share location cards in WeChat conversations or POI information from Tencent Maps, Baidu Maps, Amap and other sources to Tesla vehicles with one click, and directly initiate navigation.
After arriving at a specific destination, the system can also intelligently trigger peripheral services, support push notifications on mobile phones or scan QR codes by the co-driver, and activate merchant mini-programs to enable operations such as stop-and-click, reservation and purchase of tickets.
This OTA is said to be launched to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, and this automated function is first launched in China, while markets such as the United States and Europe may need to wait a few weeks before it is gradually launched.
Overseas netizens were so greedy that they called them “interesting” and “can’t wait”:
But having said that, for some American car owners, they may have to spend money to experience more features that Tesla will launch in the future.
North American FSD buyout, today is the last day...