The Dutch vehicle authority RDW has approved new restrictions on Tesla’s Assisted Driving system, reducing the maximum allowed speed margin to 10% above the legal limit. This update comes as part of Tesla’s plan to adjust its driving assistance features for European markets.
Key Changes to Tesla Assisted Driving
Previously, Tesla drivers in approved countries could set the Assisted Driving system to go up to 50% faster than the detected speed limit. Now, the maximum speed margin is capped at 10%. This means the system can only exceed the speed limit by a small margin, prioritizing safer and more controlled driving behavior.
Importantly, the speed margin resets to 0% every time the vehicle starts, meaning drivers begin with no speed increase above the limit. Other speed-related functions will be disabled by default at startup, although RDW has not clarified which specific features these involve. Drivers can adjust the margin after beginning their journey, but only within the new 10% limit.
The system, now officially named Tesla Assisted Driving (previously known as Full Self-Driving Supervised or FSD), remains a driver-assist feature. Drivers are still responsible for supervising the vehicle at all times.
Where the Update Applies and Its Status
The approval covers Tesla vehicles with the HW4 hardware or later versions that support the Assisted Driving system. Tesla will roll out the changes via an over-the-air software update. However, RDW has not confirmed whether the update has already reached all eligible vehicles.
Currently, the permission to use Tesla Assisted Driving with these restrictions applies in the Netherlands and several other European countries that recognize RDW’s authorization. These include Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Spain is not among the countries cleared to activate Tesla Assisted Driving. Although Tesla has demonstrated the system publicly in Spain, it does not have official approval for customer use there. The process to extend authorization across the entire European Union is ongoing within the EU Motor Vehicles Technical Committee.
Germany has reportedly supported approving Tesla Assisted Driving with a 10% speed margin limit and the new name, aligning with the recent changes accepted by RDW. However, final EU-wide decisions remain confidential and pending.
In summary, this update limits Tesla’s Assisted Driving speed margin to a safer level in parts of Europe. It marks a cautious step forward, but the system is not yet approved for use in all EU countries, including Spain.
Source: motor.es