Tesla has rebranded its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system to Tesla Assisted Driving in the European market. The decision follows objections from the German Federal Ministry of Transport, which argued that the previous name was misleading because the system cannot perform all driving tasks independently.
German Transport Minister Volker Wissing held discussions with Tesla last month regarding the naming issue. Following the company's agreement to rename the system, Wissing stated he would support its approval in Europe. A vote by the European Union on the system could occur as early as later this year.
CEO Elon Musk has long advocated for the approval of FSD in Europe, citing potential safety benefits for drivers and vulnerable road users. In March, Musk criticized EU regulations, suggesting they hindered innovation. Shortly after, the Netherlands became the first European country to approve the supervised version of FSD.
Recent reports from Reuters indicate that Tesla's lobbying efforts for European approval faced scrutiny over the quality of its safety research. The reports also noted that the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) faced significant pressure from Tesla and its supporters during the approval process.
