Netherlands clears Tesla FSD trial

Dutch regulators have cleared Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Supervised for use on public roads in the Netherlands, making it the first approval of its kind in Europe. (rdw.nl) The Dutch vehicle authority, RDW, said on April 10 that it issued type approval after testing the system for more than a year and a half on its track and on public roads. RDW said the approval is provisionally valid in the Netherlands. (rdw.nl) The key limit is legal, not technical: RDW said a car using FSD Supervised “is not self-driving,” and the driver remains responsible at all times. The agency said the system monitors whether the driver’s eyes are on the road and whether their hands are available to take over immediately. (rdw.nl) That distinction puts Tesla’s software in Europe under the same broad category as advanced driver assistance, not robotaxi-style autonomy. Electrive reported the Dutch approval allows “hands-off” use in some conditions, but only with continuous human supervision and readiness to intervene. (electrive.com) Tesla’s Dutch approval does not automatically switch on the feature across the European Union. RDW said the system may be admitted later in other member states, and reporting from U.S. News said the regulator has notified the European Commission as it seeks wider European Union approval. (rdw.nl) (usnews.com) France is not following the Netherlands for now. Numerama reported on April 16 that France’s vehicle-approval body, the CNRV, said by email that the country “does not plan to authorize FSD” before a European Union decision. (numerama.com) The Dutch file is also a test of a new rulebook. Numerama reported RDW relied on United Nations Regulation 171, adopted last year, while Electrive said Tesla submitted 1.6 million kilometers of European test driving, about 13,000 customer ride-alongs, and more than 4,500 track scenarios to support the application. (numerama.com) (electrive.com) Tesla has sold Full Self-Driving in the United States for years, but European regulators have moved more slowly and drawn a harder line between driver assistance and autonomous driving. RDW repeated that line in its approval notice: the software can take over many driving tasks, but the driver “must always participate in traffic.” (rdw.nl) (electrive.com) What happens next is now in regulators’ hands, not Tesla’s. The Netherlands has opened the road, but France is waiting and the broader European Union process is still ahead. (usnews.com) (numerama.com)