More and more areas get banned for Tesla EVs in China every day, ranging from parking lots to streets and entire districts. The government calls it the “necessary safety measures”, reports Nikkei.
The pretense is clear. All Tesla cars automatically record videos using cameras mounted all around them. Owners and Tesla specialists may gain remote access to these video feeds in real time. In certain situations, it means they can spot something undesirable.
Tesla EVs are already banned from parking near military bases, police stations, prisons and state institutions. They are also occasionally restricted from commercial, business and congress areas where state officials may be present. Every region and city have its own list of such “no Tesla” areas.
According to posts on Chinese social media, most event organizers take care to warn their guests and participants if Tesla vehicles are banned in the area. You can also encounter the corresponding signs at parking lots.
Many reporters agree that the true reason behind the bans is as simple as political tensions. With the relations between China and the United States close to an all-time low, the country may feel incentivized to drive the EV maker out.
As for Tesla Inc., it commented on the situation long ago, emphasizing that all videos were being kept exclusively on servers stationed in China. The company added later that the videos were only recorded onto the memory cards installed in cars and not transferred anywhere else. Neither of these explanations helped matters.