Tesla has swapped the name of its driver assistance software in Europe, rebranding Full Self-Driving as Tesla Assisted Driving after regulators across the continent said the original name was misleading to customers. The Tesla Assisted Driving name change now appears on company websites in Slovakia, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Croatia, Slovenia, Czechia, Estonia, Lithuania and Denmark, according to Reuters.
Tesla’s FSD page for Slovakia now redirects to a Tesla Assisted Driving page, according to Reuters. Germany said on Tuesday, Oct. 8, that Tesla had offered to switch to the new name. In the United States, Tesla’s website still calls the feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised), according to Jalopnik.
Why Regulators Pushed For The Tesla Assisted Driving Name Change
German regulators described the original Full Self-Driving label as somewhat misleading, noting the system is a driver assistance technology that handles tasks like accelerating, braking and steering, but still requires drivers to stay fully attentive, Reuters reported.
Italian authorities went further in internal statements, saying the Full Self-Driving name combined with Tesla’s promotional material could lead customers to believe their vehicles had unsupervised automatic driving capability at higher levels of automation, specifically SAE Level 3. European regulators broadly concluded the branding overstated what the software actually does, since it operates at Level 2, a category of advanced driver assistance rather than true autonomous driving, Jalopnik reported.
What The Change Means For Tesla Owners And Buyers
The new name does not change how the software functions. Drivers in the affected countries still get the same assistance features, just under a label regulators consider more accurate about the system’s limits. In the U.S., where the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) name remains in place, the software typically costs drivers $99 a month and represents a significant revenue source for Tesla’s automotive business, according to Jalopnik.
Background On Tesla’s Push For EU Approval
The naming change comes as Tesla works toward wider approval of the technology across the European Union. Seven EU countries, including Croatia, Slovenia, Czechia, Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark and Belgium, have approved the driver assistance system following the Netherlands’ earlier approval, Carscoops reported. Slovakia was expected to approve the system soon, according to the outlet.
A vote on EU-wide approval of the technology had been scheduled for October but has been delayed until December, Carscoops reported. For the system to roll out across the entire bloc, a qualified majority of 15 of the 27 member states must vote in favor.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has pushed for EU-wide approval of the software and has described the self-driving technology as central to the company’s future growth, according to Reuters.
What’s Next For Tesla In Europe
The delayed EU-wide vote now set for December will determine whether Tesla’s driver assistance system gains broader approval across the bloc. Until then, the rebranded Tesla Assisted Driving name stands as the company’s answer to regulator concerns in the markets where it has already rolled out.
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