France Tests Tesla’s FSD Self-Driving Technology on Roads
Synopsis
France starts testing Tesla’s FSD driver-assistance system on its roads, a key step toward a possible EU-wide approval in the coming months.
Key Highlights
- Road tests start in France on two Tesla vehicles fitted with the FSD driver assistance system
- The overall move may allow for approval of the company’s self-driving technology across Europe.
- The Netherlands started using FSD on a transitional basis in April, and Belgium, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania followed.
- France expects results by mid-late September but would vote earlier in the EU
France Starts On-Road Testing
France have begun testing two vehicles with Tesla, and the FSD advanced driver assistance system, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said. It could pave the way for Europe to approve Elon Musk’s self-driving technology in the whole bloc.
FSD is a driver assistance system that can accelerate, brake and steer a vehicle while the human driver sits ready to take control. It does not make the car drive itself blindly.
FSD has already been approved in other EU countries
In April, the Netherlands’ road authority RDW provisionally authorised Tesla’s FSD system on Dutch roads. Similar approvals were then granted in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania before a broader vote across the EU was due to be held as soon as next month.
Tabarot said the safety trade-offs associated with full self-driving (FSD) were not yet adequate to warrant approval in France last July, citing issues related to speed limiting and driver attention warnings.
Testing Timeline and Next Steps
A French transport ministry source said the French authorities are keen to carry out their own test to confirm data submitted by the Netherlands and Tesla and assess how it performed on France’s roads. It plans to have results of tests available by mid or late September, in order to take part in an upcoming Europe-wide vote.
The vote will probably come before the full floor soon, with that occurrence possibly as early as next month or in early December, the source said. The source also said that Tesla should continue to keep an eye on resolving France’s issues, as this may open the door for approval of the technology in the rest of Europe.
Source: Reuters
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