Tesla legal department sent a formal notice to D1EV CEO Pang Yicheng following a livestreamed autonomous driving competition held on November 8, 2026. The company alleges that the Tesla vehicles used in the event were modified to illegally activate FSD V14 software, which is not authorized for use in China.
Tesla claims these actions violate the Network Evaluation Activity Specifications issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the State Administration for Market Regulation in June 2026. The automaker demands the immediate removal of all related content across platforms, including official websites, WeChat, Douyin, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu.
The notice requires D1EV to provide the VIN numbers of the involved vehicles within 48 hours and cooperate in restoring the software to factory settings. Tesla also demands a written commitment to cease all unauthorized access or reverse engineering of its systems, threatening legal action or police reports if requirements are not met.
Pang Yicheng responded via video, stating that he refuses to remove the content. He maintains that the organization does not believe their actions were illegal or in violation of regulations, despite Tesla's claims regarding the unauthorized nature of the software modification.
