ShareNEW YORK: Tesla announced Friday that it signed an agreement to build its first grid-scale energy storage power station project in mainland China. The project will help with the flexible adjustment of grid resources, and “effectively solve pressures relating to urban power supply,” Tesla said in a post to the Chinese social media platform Weibo. “After completion, this project is expected to become the largest grid-side energy storage project in China,” Tesla added. Such energy storage systems help to enhance stability in the electricity grid at a time when there are greater supplies of solar and wind power.
Chinese media outlet Yicai reported that Tesla Shanghai, Shanghai authorities and China Kangfu International Leasing Co. held a signing ceremony Friday for the project. It added that the deal involved investments of 4 billion yuan ($560 million). The contract comes at a moment of tension between Washington and Beijing, with the two sides yet to hash out a long-term trade agreement following tariffs announced by President Donald Trump. China and the United States negotiated a “framework” agreement in London earlier this month following two days of marathon talks.
Reviewing Tesla answers
In another development, US highway safety regulators are reviewing answers Tesla gave in response to the agency’s questions about the safety of its self-driving robotaxi in poor weather, the agency said on Friday, ahead of plans to deploy the vehicles as soon as this weekend. Tesla has sent invitations to a small group of people to join in a limited test of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, which is tentatively set to start on Sunday, according to posts and email screenshots on social media. In a letter last month, NHTSA asked Tesla to answer detailed questions by June 19 on its plans to launch paid robotaxi service in Austin, to assess how the electric vehicle maker’s cars with full self-driving technology will perform in poor weather.
The agency said it has received Tesla’s response “and is in the process of reviewing it. Once our review has been completed the public file will be updated.” Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The invitations said a Tesla employee will accompany riders in the front passenger seat, the posts showed. NHTSA asked Tesla if vehicles “will be supervised or otherwise monitored by Tesla in real time.”
NHTSA has been investigating Tesla full self-driving collisions in reduced roadway visibility conditions since October. The probe covers 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with full self-driving technology after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash. The agency said in May it was seeking additional information about Tesla’s development of robotaxis “to assess the ability of Tesla’s system to react appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions” as well details on robotaxi deployment plans and the technology being used.
NHTSA said in May it wants to know how many vehicles will be used as robotaxis and the expected timetable for availability of robotaxi technology for vehicles controlled by people other than Tesla. NHTSA’s letter asked Tesla to describe how it intends to ensure the safety of robotaxi operations in reduced roadway visibility conditions such as sun glare, fog, airborne dust, rain, or snow. It also wants to know what happens if poor visibility is encountered during a ride. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said he will focus on safety in the trial, with humans remotely monitoring the vehicles. - AFP
