Germany backs EU approval of Tesla FSD after Tesla agrees to drop 'full self-driving' name

Berlin backs approval in exchange for a rename

Germany's Federal Ministry of Transport says it intends to make Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system viable in Germany and to push for its approval across the European Union. In return, Tesla has accepted a long-demanded change: in the German market the package will be called 'Tesla Assisted Driving' instead of 'full self-driving'. Transport Minister Steffen Bilger said the two sides reached a constructive understanding on technical questions and on civil liability after direct talks with Tesla's management. The system remains a level 2 driver assistance system, so the person behind the wheel is still responsible for driving and must keep watching the road.

My goal is for Tesla drivers to be able to benefit from assisted driving across the European Union as quickly as possible.

The EU vote and its arithmetic

Approval at EU level needs a qualified majority of at least 15 member states representing 65% of the EU population. So far eight countries have given favourable opinions: the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Croatia. The Dutch vehicle authority RDW played a pioneering role in the process. France remains firmly opposed, while Spain and Italy are outside the initial group of supporters, so Germany's backing adds the population weight needed to move the file. Xataka reports that a Commission vote expected in October or late September has been pushed to December at Germany's request, with Sweden also undecided.

Speed tolerance and the safety debate

The ministry and Tesla agreed in September talks that the system could slightly exceed permitted speeds by up to 10%. The ministry argues this can make traffic flow more evenly. Its statement reads:

Minor speeding can contribute to a more even and fluid traffic, depending on the situation.

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) disagrees with this logic. It criticises a 'Speed Offset' function that, according to the Tesla handbook, allows a permanent surcharge of up to 50% above the recognised speed limit, so that 50 km/h can become 75 km/h. ETSC says this breaches a UN rule for driver control assistance systems that expressly bans presetting a maximum system speed above the limit, and that Tesla did not list the function among its requested exemptions. ETSC also objects to 'Contextual Max Speed', which can factor in the speed of other road users and could therefore raise the system's speed when traffic is fast.

Reuters questions the safety data

Reuters analysed internal emails between Tesla and the RDW and spoke with seven independent road safety researchers. According to the investigation, Tesla's April submission to European authorities did not offer enough data for a clear comparison between crashes involving FSD and crashes with human drivers. Instead it relied on indicators such as horn use, abrupt acceleration and braking, indicator use and automatic emergency braking activation. None of the seven researchers thought the data showed that FSD reduces fatal crashes. Tesla and Elon Musk argue that delays could cost lives, but the researchers cited no independent evidence for that claim. The RDW rejected the idea that its testing independence was affected and said discussions with manufacturers are a normal part of approval. Officials in Sweden and Norway received dozens of emails from Tesla supporters urging quick approval, some warning that officials could be held responsible for deaths if the technology were delayed.