Tesla Legal Department Sends Letter to D1EV Demanding VIN Decryption and Software Restoration Within 48 Hours

On the afternoon of November 10, Pang Yicheng, CEO of D1EV, publicly shared a notification letter from Tesla's legal department. The letter accused the media outlet of illegally cracking and activating Tesla's assisted driving software during the "Smart Driving Competition," and publicly broadcasting the testing process to the public via livestream. In the letter, Tesla stated that during the Smart Driving Competition published by D1EV on multiple media platforms on November 8, 2026, the Tesla vehicle used had its assisted driving software subjected to unauthorized cracking and activation, causing assisted driving functions that should not be available for use in specific Tesla vehicles in China to operate in actual driving. Tesla claimed that the aforementioned actions are suspected of being illegal and also violate the mandatory provisions on testing qualifications, testing standards, testing samples, and content authenticity stipulated in the "Regulations on Online Evaluation Activities" jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the State Administration for Market Regulation in June 2026. Tesla raised four rectification requirements: immediately cease all cracking, activation, testing, evaluation, and dissemination activities; fully remove and delete all livestream replays, recorded videos, graphic reports, and comment interaction content involving Tesla assisted driving cracking evaluations from its own platforms and third-party platforms; provide in writing within 48 hours of receiving the letter all vehicle VIN numbers used in this cracking evaluation, and cooperate with Tesla's technical team to restore the relevant vehicle software status to the original factory configuration; and issue a written commitment letter in the company's name confirming that no further cracking, reverse engineering, or unauthorized access activities targeting Tesla vehicles and related systems will be carried out. Tesla stated that if all rectification requirements are not completed within the deadline, or if there are acts of continued dissemination or obstruction of investigation, it will report to public security authorities to pursue criminal liability against relevant responsible persons, and file a civil lawsuit in accordance with the law, seeking cessation of infringement, elimination of adverse effects, apology, and compensation for economic losses, while reserving the right to pursue separate liability for new violations. In response to the letter, Pang Yicheng publicly stated, "They're coming on strong, they've got me so scared," and said he had already arranged meal delivery with his colleagues, adding, "Come on, bring it on, I'm waiting for you." According to content published by D1EV on November 8, the vehicles participating in the competition that day were a GAC Aion Ray7 equipped with the WeRide solution and a Tesla Model YL equipped with FSD V14.2.2, with the Aion Ray7 ultimately winning the competition.