Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is currently in Beijing, China, where he is talking about bringing Full Self Driving (FSD) to Tesla cars in the country. FSD is already available in the US, but not in China. Musk wants to use data collected in China to train Tesla's algorithms. This visit comes after a report in the US linked Tesla's autonomous driving modes to several crashes, including one death. Musk met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and expressed Tesla's interest in working together with China.
China is Tesla's second-biggest market, and other car companies like Xpeng are trying to compete with Tesla by adding similar self-driving features to their cars. Musk has praised Chinese car companies, saying they are the most competitive in the world. To address concerns about FSD in China, Tesla has taken steps to reassure Chinese authorities, like setting up a data center in Shanghai to process Chinese consumer data according to local laws.
This visit comes after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started an investigation into whether a recall fixed safety issues with Tesla's driver assistance system. The NHTSA found that drivers involved in the crashes were not paying enough attention, even though they were supposed to stay focused on the road and be ready to take control when autonomous driving is on. Tesla's software is designed to make sure drivers are paying attention and that the feature is only used in the right conditions, like on highways.
Elon Musk has always said that Teslas will eventually be able to work as autonomous "robotaxis." But some people criticize him for exaggerating the potential of full autonomous driving to boost Tesla's stock price. Tesla is facing challenges like lower demand for electric cars worldwide and competition from cheaper Chinese manufacturers. Musk denies these accusations. To deal with these challenges, Tesla has been lowering car prices in China and other places to encourage people to buy. The company recently reported a 13% drop in car sales for the first three months of this year, along with a 9% decrease in overall sales and a big decrease in profits compared to last year. Tesla's stock price has also gone down by 32% in 2024.
Original news source: Musk in China to discuss enabling Full Self Driving (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and summarize the main points in their own words. They will take turns sharing their summaries with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: In groups, students will discuss their opinions on Elon Musk's visit to China and Tesla's plans for Full Self Driving. Each group will appoint a spokesperson who will present their group's opinions to the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and be shown a vocabulary word from the article. They will have one minute to draw the word on the board, while their team tries to guess what it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– Synonym Challenge
Instructions: Students will work individually or in pairs to find synonyms for selected words from the article. They will then share their synonyms with the class and discuss any differences in meaning or usage.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students will discuss and make predictions about the future of autonomous driving and Tesla's role in it. They will share their predictions with the class and explain the reasons behind their choices.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Elon Musk is currently visiting Beijing, China.
Elon Musk wants to use data collected in China to train Tesla's algorithms because it will help improve the performance and safety of Full Self Driving in Chinese conditions.
Elon Musk praised Chinese car companies, saying they are the most competitive in the world.
To reassure Chinese authorities about Full Self Driving in China, Tesla has set up a data center in Shanghai to process Chinese consumer data according to local laws.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started an investigation into whether a recall fixed safety issues with Tesla's driver assistance system.
The NHTSA found that drivers involved in the crashes were not paying enough attention, even though they were supposed to stay focused on the road and be ready to take control when autonomous driving is on.
Some people criticize Elon Musk for exaggerating the potential of full autonomous driving to boost Tesla's stock price.
Tesla is currently facing challenges like lower demand for electric cars worldwide and competition from cheaper Chinese manufacturers. To address these challenges, Tesla has been lowering car prices in China and other places to encourage people to buy.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is currently in Beijing, China, where he is about bringing Full Self Driving (FSD) to Tesla cars in the country. FSD is already available in the US, but not in China. Musk wants to use data in China to train Tesla's algorithms. This visit comes after a report in the US linked Tesla's autonomous driving modes to several , including one death. Musk met with Chinese Li Qiang and expressed Tesla's interest in working together with China. China is Tesla's second-biggest market, and other car companies like Xpeng are trying to compete with by adding similar self-driving features to their cars. Musk has praised car companies, saying they are the most in the world. To address concerns about FSD in China, Tesla has taken steps to reassure Chinese authorities, like setting up a data center in Shanghai to process Chinese consumer data according to local laws. This visit comes after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started an investigation into whether a recall safety issues with Tesla's driver assistance system. The NHTSA found that drivers involved in the crashes were not enough attention, even though they were supposed to stay focused on the road and be ready to take control when autonomous driving is on. Tesla's software is to make sure drivers are paying attention and that the feature is only used in the right , like on highways. Elon Musk has always said that Teslas will eventually be able to work as autonomous "robotaxis." But some criticize him for exaggerating the potential of full autonomous driving to boost Tesla's stock price. Tesla is facing challenges like demand for electric cars worldwide and competition from cheaper Chinese manufacturers. Musk these . To deal with these challenges, Tesla has been lowering car prices in China and other places to encourage people to buy. The company recently reported a 13% drop in car sales for the first three months of this year, along with a 9% in overall sales and a big decrease in profits compared to last year. Tesla's stock price has also gone down by 32% in 2024.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is Full Self Driving (FSD) and why is it important for Tesla cars?
2. How do you think Tesla could use data collected in China to improve their autonomous driving technology?
3. Do you think it's a good idea for Tesla to work together with China? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you were driving a car that had autonomous driving modes linked to crashes?
5. Do you like the idea of self-driving cars? Why or why not?
6. What do you think about other car companies adding self-driving features to their cars to compete with Tesla?
7. How do you think Tesla can address concerns about FSD in China?
8. Do you think the drivers involved in the crashes with Tesla's driver assistance system were at fault? Why or why not?
9. What do you think about Elon Musk's idea of Tesla cars working as autonomous "robotaxis"?
10. How do you think Tesla's stock price could be affected by the criticism Elon Musk is facing?
11. Do you think Elon Musk is exaggerating the potential of full autonomous driving? Why or why not?
12. How do you think lower demand for electric cars worldwide and competition from cheaper Chinese manufacturers could affect Tesla?
13. What do you think about Tesla lowering car prices in China and other places to encourage people to buy?
14. How would you feel if you were a Tesla shareholder and saw a big decrease in profits and stock price?
15. Do you think Tesla will be able to overcome these challenges? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
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π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
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Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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