Tesla has reportedly reached an agreement with Alipay in China to add in-car payment to its vehicles. The feature will arrive in a future software update as the EV maker expands its China-specific tech.
Paying for parking tickets will soon get more seamless for Tesla drivers in China. The automaker will add the popular payment platform Alipay to its infotainment systems as more Chinese features enter the cabin.
Once activated, Tesla customers can settle parking fees right from their central screen. This means they won’t have to pull out their phones or scan WeChat codes to complete the transaction.
Tesla has not yet said when the feature will reach cars or which models will be enabled.
Smart parking ticket payment is actually the starting point of the Tesla-Alipay alliance. Alipay’s in-car payment system, officially named Alipay Co-Driver, launched in 2024, and is way more capable. It is deployed in nearly 70 models and more than 10 million vehicles already.
The payment service can handle public charging, refuelling, and tollgate charges. It also covers scenarios such as paying for coffee.
Tesla customers can expect to enjoy some of the Alipay features found on other car brands. These include voice- and face-activated payment authorisation, automatic scanning of payment QR codes using the vehicle’s cameras, and ordering movie tickets before stepping out of the car. They can also use voice commands such as “help me pay the parking fee” or “buy me a movie ticket,” although this may require Alipay’s Abao AI assistant.
Tesla has been partnering with Chinese tech recently. The move may be necessary to boost sales as local deliveries continue to drop, while exports surge. The American automaker now offers Tencent’s “WeChat Connect” and “Destination Services,” navigation features powered by Baidu, and ByteDance’s Doubao AI assistant. The latter requires a Premium Connectivity subscription.
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