Germany is prepared to support the deployment of Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in Europe, provided the company rebrands the software to Tesla Assisted Driving (TAD). German Federal Minister of Transport Volker Wissing reached a consensus with Tesla in September to advocate for this approval across the European Union.
The German Ministry of Transport has set specific technical conditions for the system's operation. Tesla must cap the automatic speed offset at 10% above the posted speed limit, a significant reduction from the current 50% allowance in some regions. The ministry noted the system's strong performance in urban environments during testing.
The EU-wide approval vote, originally scheduled for October 6, has been postponed until at least December. To secure approval, Tesla needs support from at least 15 member states. Currently, 8 European countries have approved the system, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Croatia.
Tesla faces opposition from several European safety organizations and countries, including Sweden and France, which have previously raised concerns regarding the system's speed offset features. The company is currently negotiating with individual nations, such as Ireland and Italy, to build momentum ahead of the December vote.
