Tesla China releases beta maps udpate with new navigation feature

Tesla has recently added a new feature for owners in China meant to make navigating the busy roads and highways a little easier.

In January of this year Tesla in China announced on Weibo it had switched their in-car mapping provider from Tencent to Baidu Maps. The change came after complaints about the usability of the navigation from Tencent.

The partnership has now brought about a new feature for owners that are part of the Early Access Program (EAP). Along with improvements in calculating the estimated time of arrival and other navigation related enhancements, the on-screen visualizations now show an enlarged and more detailed view of exits and off-ramps.

The original arrows that appear on Tesla navigation in Canada and the US are still present after this update.

The new interface strongly resembles what is seen on traditional GPS units like those from Tom Tom and Garmin.

It is unknown at this time if this feature will make its way to vehicles outside of China. While it does appear like it would improve the navigation experience, the visuals of the new feature don’t quite flow with the rest of the Tesla user interface, and appears quite out of place.

If it does eventually show up on North American vehicles, hopefully Tesla is able to put their own touch on it and make it look like the rest of the navigation visuals.

What do you think of this new feature? Would you like to see it in your Tesla? Let us know in the comments below.