On Tuesday, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology called on Tesla to ensure its China-made cars are consistent, following complaints by Chinese customers who claimed the company installed less advanced computer chips in their vehicles.

The Economic Observer reported that some Tesla car owners found that the control units in their vehicle run on HW2.5 chips, unlike the more advanced HW3.0 chips that Tesla lists in their specification sheets. HW3.0 chips are needed for FSD (Full Self-Driving) mode in Tesla’s driver assistance system – however, the feature is optional when ordering Tesla vehicles.

On March 3, Tesla sent the newspaper a statement saying that after the company resumed production on February 10, some Model 3 cars had HW2.5 chips installed because of issues with the supply chain. Tesla noted that customers who selected FSD mode had HW3.0 chips installed in their vehicles, while some vehicles without FSD mode had HW2.5 chips installed. However, there is said to be no difference in driver experience or safety use among the two computer chips. The company has stated it would replace the chip for car owners with HW2.5 systems.



Tesla began delivering its China-made Model 3 sedans to the public in early January, following the completion of its Shanghai Gigafactory. Tesla delivered 3,958 units in February – accounting for around 30% of all new-energy vehicles in China, which signaled that the company has been less affected by the coronavirus outbreak compared to other companies, according to Bloomberg.

READ MORE: China-made Tesla Model 3 Deliveries to Start Next Week

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