Germany is throwing its support behind Tesla’s push to bring Full Self-Driving (FSD) across the European Union – but with a slight change to the feature’s name.
Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger announced this week that Germany will advocate for a timely approval of Tesla’s driver-assistance system following discussions with the automaker in September.
As part of those talks, Tesla has offered to rename FSD as “Tesla Assisted Driving,” or TAD, in Europe.
The change would address concerns that the Full Self-Driving name suggests the vehicle is autonomous. FSD remains a supervised Level 2 driver-assistance system, meaning the driver must remain attentive and responsible at all times.
“My goal is for Tesla drivers to be able to enjoy the benefits of ‘assisted driving’ throughout the EU without delay,” Bilger said.
Germany and Tesla Reach Speed Offset Compromise
More importantly, Germany and Tesla appear to have reached common ground on one of the biggest obstacles facing EU approval.
As we reported last week, German officials had raised concerns that FSD could select speeds up to 50% above the detected speed limit. Under the new agreement, the system would instead be permitted to exceed the posted limit by a maximum of 10%.
Germany says small speed deviations can, depending on the situation, contribute to smoother traffic flow and will support that approach during the European approval process.
The endorsement represents a notable turnaround. Germany confirmed in late September that it had not yet decided how it would vote, citing concerns about speeding, urban operation and driver liability.
EU-Wide FSD Decision Expected in December
Tesla has already secured approval in eight European countries: the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, Czechia and Croatia.
However, broader EU approval has faced resistance from countries including Sweden and France, particularly over the speed-offset feature.
An EU-wide decision originally anticipated in October has now been pushed to December at the earliest. With Germany, Europe’s largest automotive market, now publicly supporting the technology, Tesla has gained an important ally as it works toward bringing FSD, or potentially Tesla Assisted Driving, across the EU.
Related Articles:
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- Croatia becomes eighth European country to approve Tesla FSD
- Tesla FSD approved in seventh European country – Czechia
- EU vote on Tesla FSD slips beyond October
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