- Staff at Chinese government offices were told to not park Tesla cars at work, sources told Reuters.
- Cameras in Tesla’s cars help drivers park, but have left some Chinese officials with security concerns.
- Tesla faces a potential regulatory clampdown from Chinese authorities.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
Some Chinese government employees have been told not to park their Tesla cars inside government compounds over security concerns related to the vehicles’ cameras, Reuters reported.
Managers of at least two government agencies in Beijing and Shanghai told staff that their Tesla vehicles were not welcome in the office car park, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
It is not clear whether the ban is part of a formal government mandate, or is being applied locally by supervisors at specific offices. Sources said the ban was only for Tesla vehicles.
Reuters said that the sources wanted to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Tesla cars were barred from entering some military sites in March over security concerns relating to the cameras installed in the vehicles.
Tesla installs the cameras to help drivers park and change lanes. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said data collected can be used to develop its autonomous driving technology.
The automaker faces a potential regulatory clampdown from Chinese authorities. State regulators met with Tesla representatives in February after a series of customer complaints over the safety of its cars.
China’s State Council Information Office, which manages media requests on behalf of the government, did not immediately respond to comment when contacted by Reuters.