Tesla renames ‘Full Self-Driving’ to ‘Assisted Driving’ in Europe

Tesla has altered its European website to refer to its Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature as Tesla Assisted Driving, moving away from a term regulators claim is misleading, as CEO Elon Musk pushes for EU-wide approval for the software. The change in terminology follows Germany's request for Tesla to switch to the new name. Tesla's FSD page for Slovakia now links to the Tesla Assisted Driving page, and similar updates are in place for other European countries such as Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands.

The US site still labels it as Full Self-Driving (Supervised). A recent Reuters report revealed that Tesla launched a campaign to secure approval for FSD in Europe, encouraging enthusiasts to advocate for faster regulatory approvals. In September, a Norwegian Tesla owner questioned whether Tesla's modifications to the FSD description addressed concerns about the name, according to documents obtained through a freedom-of-information request.

Several regulators have stated that the previous name was misleading, as the system necessitates continuous supervision and drivers retain legal responsibility. In Sweden, consumer protection authorities had previously asked the Swedish Transport Agency to evaluate if the marketing of FSD could mislead buyers into thinking the system could drive autonomously without human intervention.

In Italy, authorities stated in internal government communications that the term Full Self-Driving, combined with Tesla's promotional materials, might lead users to believe the vehicle has unsupervised automatic driving functions at or above SAE Level 3, a level of autonomy. Eight EU countries presently permit the system, with Slovakia set to become the ninth within days.

An EU-wide vote to approve the technology has been postponed until at least December, with countries like France conducting further testing.