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EU Weighs Tesla FSD: Safety vs. Sales
30 Jun
Summary
- European regulators to discuss Tesla's FSD system approval on Tuesday.
- Some nations have approved FSD individually, others raise safety concerns.
- A vote for EU-wide approval is not expected before October.
European regulators are scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss the potential rollout of Tesla's supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) system across the region. This technology, already operational in the United States, has become a point of contention among continent's regulators ahead of a critical EU-wide approval vote expected in October.
Tesla is pursuing an exemption under current law for FSD, classifying it as a new technology not adequately covered by existing rules. This strategy allowed the Netherlands' RDW authority to issue a provisional approval on April 10, following 18 months of testing. This Dutch approval, enabling FSD use on its roads, has since been used by Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, and Belgium to grant their own provisional approvals.
However, several member states have raised safety concerns, including issues related to FSD exceeding speed limits, its performance on icy roads, and drivers bypassing anti-distraction features. Sweden has specifically called for a rejection of FSD unless its speeding capabilities are removed. Norway and Finland have also expressed worries about the system's speed on tight corners.
An EU-wide approval requires a qualified majority of 15 member states representing 65% of the bloc's population. The Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV) will further discuss the Dutch approval and its basis during its Tuesday meeting. If approved, the European Commission would then initiate changes to motor vehicle law. Rejection would cause all national approvals to lapse after six months.
