Tesla's European expansion of its supervised Full Self-Driving system is facing renewed regulatory scrutiny after a major road-safety organization urged EU countries to reject features that could allow the system to exceed posted speed limits.
Key Points
- The European Transport Safety Council is urging EU member states to reject Tesla FSD's speed-offset function.
- The group says the feature can raise the vehicle's maximum speed by as much as 50% above the detected speed limit.
- Tesla has not sought an exemption from relevant United Nations Economic Commission rules for the feature, according to the safety council.
- Separate testing in Belgium found repeated speed-limit errors in 20 km/h and 30 km/h zones.
- An EU-wide decision on Tesla's supervised FSD system is now not expected before December.
Safety Concerns Put Tesla FSD Under the Microscope
Tesla's push to expand its supervised Full Self-Driving technology across Europe is running into a growing regulatory debate over how the system handles speed limits.
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), a road-safety organization, has called on EU member states to reject approval of Tesla's FSD speed-offset function. According to the group, the feature can increase the maximum speed selected by the system by as much as 50% above the speed limit detected by the vehicle.
The issue is particularly significant because Tesla's FSD system is designed to control steering and vehicle speed while still requiring the human driver to remain attentive and responsible for the vehicle.
The Speed-Offset Dispute
The ETSC says Tesla has not requested an exemption from United Nations Economic Commission for Europe rules that regulate how advanced driver-assistance systems interact with speed limits.
The organization is also questioning a separate FSD function that can adjust driving speed according to surrounding traffic. It wants European regulators to examine both functions before granting broader approval.
Tesla has not immediately responded to Reuters' request for comment on the latest concerns. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously argued that delaying FSD approval could cost lives, highlighting the company's position that the technology can improve road safety.
Belgian Testing Adds to the Debate
The latest regulatory dispute comes shortly after independent testing in Belgium raised additional concerns about Tesla's handling of speed limits.
Belgian road-safety group Johanna.be tested Tesla FSD over approximately 400 kilometers around Brussels. The group reported that the system exceeded the legal speed limit in 55% of the 30 km/h road segments it tested, with the vehicle averaging about 44 km/h in those instances.
The organization also reported that FSD sometimes displayed a 50 km/h limit to the driver even when the vehicle had correctly recognized a 30 km/h roadside sign. It said the system also exceeded the 20 km/h limit in 42% of the home-zone locations tested.
Johanna.be acknowledged that the system often behaved cautiously around pedestrians and cyclists, including yielding proactively. However, the organization said those positive behaviors did not compensate for the reported speeding and traffic-rule violations.
Europe Is Taking Different Approaches
European regulators have not taken a uniform position on Tesla's supervised FSD system.
The Dutch vehicle regulator, RDW, approved the system in April, while Belgium and several other European countries have subsequently authorized it under their respective regulatory processes. However, the Dutch approval did not cover the disputed speed-offset function, according to the ETSC.
Sweden, France and the Czech Republic have raised concerns about aspects of Tesla's system, illustrating the difficulty of establishing a common regulatory approach for advanced driver-assistance technology across countries with different traffic environments and rules.
Why the EU Decision Matters
A wider EU approval would give Tesla a major regulatory pathway for expanding its supervised FSD technology across European markets. A rejection or additional restrictions, by contrast, could require changes to the system before some of its more controversial functions could be used broadly.
EU Decision Delayed
The regulatory debate is also taking place against a delay in the EU approval timetable. A vote that had been expected in October is now not expected to take place until at least December, according to the latest EU agenda and Reuters reporting.
That delay gives regulators additional time to consider technical performance, compliance with European traffic rules and the safety implications of allowing advanced driver-assistance systems to influence vehicle speed.
The Bigger Picture
Tesla's European FSD debate highlights a broader challenge facing the automotive industry: advanced driving systems must operate within traffic laws that can vary significantly between countries and road environments.
The central question for regulators is not simply whether automated driving technology can perform complex driving tasks. It is also whether the technology consistently follows local speed limits and other road rules while giving human drivers accurate information about what the system is doing.
As European regulators consider Tesla's next steps, the treatment of speed limits could become an important test of how the region regulates increasingly capable driver-assistance technology.
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