Germany is ready to back Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) rollout in Europe, but under a different name. According to a post on X from @tpgoebel, Germany’s Federal Ministry for Transport (BMV) wants FSD to be called “Tesla Assisted Driving,” or TAD, as part of its push for EU-wide approval.
Federal Transport Minister Bilger reportedly reached an agreement with Tesla in September and now plans to advocate for the system. Germany still hasn’t approved FSD for use on its own roads, but this is the clearest sign yet that Europe’s largest car market is on board.
Germany’s Conditions for Backing FSD
Beyond the new name, the ministry says the system shows “particularly high performance in urban traffic” based on its findings so far. It also wants Tesla to restrict FSD so it only exceeds the posted speed limit by a maximum of 10%.
If those terms are met, Germany will support continuing the European approval process to bring the tech to drivers “as quickly as possible while maintaining high safety standards.”
The TAD name isn’t entirely new, either. FSD is also expected to launch anew in China as Tesla Assisted Driving, based on updates to Tesla’s Chinese owner’s manuals earlier this year.
A Speeding Cap Could Win Over Skeptics
The 10% limit targets FSD’s Speed Offset feature, which currently lets the system exceed posted limits by up to 50% in some conditions. Germany had already raised concerns about overspeeding last month, and Sweden has urged Brussels to deny EU-wide approval over the same issue. France and road safety groups like the European Transport Safety Council have voiced similar objections.
To secure EU approval, Tesla will likely have to either remove Speed Offset from its European FSD build or cap it at 10%, as Germany recommends. Whether that’s enough for Sweden, France, and other naysayers remains to be seen.
Where EU Approval Stands
The EU vote on bloc-wide FSD approval was delayed from October 6 to December at the earliest. Tesla will need a qualified majority of at least 15 countries in favor whenever the vote does happen, and it’s been collecting independent national approvals one by one. Eight countries have approved FSD so far:
Netherlands
Belgium
Denmark
Lithuania
Estonia
Slovenia
Czechia
Croatia
Tesla is also deep into talks for FSD approval in Ireland, while other countries like Italy are nearing decisions as well. Globally, FSD has been approved for use in a total of 16 countries.
With Germany likely joining Tesla’s side, the December vote looks more promising, though European owners may see a TAD badge instead of FSD on their screens when it arrives.
