Tesla renames Full Self-Driving to Tesla Assisted Driving in Europe after pushback from Germany, whose transport minister will now back its EU-wide approval (Sean O'Kane/TechCrunch)

Tesla has renamed its advanced driver assistance system in Europe from "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" to "Tesla Assisted Driving," following criticism from Germany's transportation ministry. The change comes as Tesla seeks wider adoption of the technology across the continent, potentially unlocking a significant new revenue stream for the company.

Germany's transport minister, Steffen Bilger, stated that the previous name was misleading, as the system does not perform the entire driving task and requires human supervision. Bilger, who met with Tesla last month, is now advocating for the approval of the new name across Europe before a potential EU-wide vote. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had previously expressed his desire for FSD to be approved in Europe, emphasizing its potential to save lives and help vulnerable road users.

However, recent reports suggest that Tesla's push for European approval may have been based on flawed safety research and studies. Despite the controversy, Tesla's software has advanced significantly, now capable of performing many tasks during daily driving, including parking and navigating highways. While Tesla claims confidence in the technology, it has faced federal investigations and lawsuits over crashes allegedly involving FSD, while Autopilot has been linked to numerous fatalities.