Strict European Regulation Hinders Tesla's FSD Technology Ambitions

JAKARTA - Tesla is trying to expand the use of Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology in Europe so that its electric cars can drive with an automatic driving system on public roads. However, the move by Elon Musk's company still faces various obstacles from regulators in a number of European countries who assess that the technology is not completely safe.

In April, the Netherlands became the first country to approve the use of FSD through its road safety authority, RDW. The decision was considered a positive signal that could pave the way for other EU countries to follow suit.

In reality, many regulators in the region are still cautious about Tesla's system. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway are some of the countries known to still have doubts.

In Sweden, the local Transportation Agency highlighted the ability of Tesla's software, which is sometimes judged to allow vehicles to exceed speed limits. Hans Nordin from the Swedish Transportation Agency considers this a serious problem because autonomous vehicles should fully comply with traffic rules, not consider speed limits as mere recommendations.

Finland also has its own concerns, especially related to extreme weather conditions. Jukka Juhola, Finnish transport official, questioned the ability of the Tesla system when faced with a snowy or slippery road at high speed.

He assessed that the winter conditions in the Nordic region were a major challenge for the automatic system, especially when vehicles had to make quick maneuvers to avoid accidents on the ice surface.

Launching from Arena, Thursday, May 7, the European regulator also assessed that the name "Full Self-Driving" has the potential to mislead consumers. This is because the version that Tesla submitted in Europe actually still requires drivers to pay attention to road conditions and be ready to take control at any time.

Therefore, a number of parties consider that using the FSD name can make users too confident and careless when driving. Other concerns arise regarding the potential for drivers to use the feature to perform other activities such as playing mobile phones or sending messages.

Although Tesla says the "FSD Supervised" system still requires human supervision, regulators say there is no strong evidence that drivers will actually stay focused while the vehicle is driving automatically.

Tesla also asked its vehicle owners to send an email to regulators to encourage the acceleration of FSD approval. However, this step triggered a negative reaction. An official in Norway even said he had to waste time responding to "misguided consumers."

Tesla's policy manager in the European Union is also reported to have admitted that the mass email strategy does not help the approval process. On the other hand, the Dutch regulator has not yet opened the complete data used as the basis for granting FSD permission.

The lack of transparency has made other countries still reluctant to give the green light. They are asking for clearer safety data before allowing Tesla's technology to be widely used on European roads.

To get approval across the entire EU, Tesla must obtain support from at least 55 percent of member states representing at least 65 percent of the total population of the EU. There is currently no new voting schedule, while the next important meeting will only take place in July and October.