American electric car manufacturer Tesla has announced that its advanced supervised autonomous driving system, known as Full Self-Driving (Supervised), has been officially approved for use in the Netherlands. This represents a significant milestone as the Netherlands became the first European country to give the green light for the introduction of their autonomous technology on public roads. According to the company, the system will soon begin to be distributed to users through software upgrades.
Autonomy, but with human supervision
The approval decision came after the Dutch vehicle regulatory agency, RDW, carried out extensive research. The agency confirmed that the FSD (Supervised) system was subjected to rigorous testing on their training grounds and public roads for a period longer than a year and a half. It was concluded that technology makes a positive contribution to road traffic safety, which was a key prerequisite for issuing the certificate.
Despite the name suggesting complete autonomy, RDW emphasized the clear limitations of the system in its official statement. It was pointed out that a vehicle equipped with this technology cannot be considered fully self-driving without human intervention. The driver remains legally and operationally responsible for driving the car at all times and must maintain full control of the system during the entire drive.
The beginning of expansion in the EU
According to Tesla’s specifications, the software enables navigation through residential areas, city streets and highways, with constant user supervision. The company points out that this is the only solution on the market that offers this level of assistance, setting a new standard in the mobility industry.
Getting approval in the Netherlands could have far-reaching consequences for the entire continent. RDW noted that this type of approval could facilitate the subsequent entry of Tesla’s technology into all other EU member states. This is in line with the company’s previously announced 2024 plans, according to which expansion into the European and Chinese markets is one of the primary goals of their software development. However, the introduction of the system takes place in the shadow of current investigations in the United States of America, where the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting an investigation into crashes involving vehicles with the FSD system activated, especially in conditions of reduced visibility on the road.