Tesla has received additional approvals in Europe. Poland is still waiting.
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Latvia and Slovakia are the latest countries to allow Tesla Assisted Driving.
The system can turn, change lanes, and cross intersections on its own, but it still requires full driver supervision.
Poland is not yet on the list of countries where Tesla can activate this feature.
Tesla has been working for months to enable in Europe the system formerly known as Full Self-Driving (Supervised), meaning full autonomous driving under driver oversight. In Europe, the manufacturer renamed it Tesla Assisted Driving (TAD), or Tesla’s driving assistance system.
Reuters reported further progress. Slovakia approved the solution earlier in October, and Latvia joined it on Monday. The number of European countries where TAD can be used has thus risen to ten.
Tesla Can Now Do Much More Than Just Autopilot
TAD is far more advanced than the classic Autopilot. The car can drive along a route set by navigation under the driver’s supervision, turn left and right, change lanes, respond to other vehicles and obstacles, and navigate through intersections.
This does not mean Tesla has become an autonomous vehicle. Latvia’s transportation ministry explicitly classifies TAD as a level 2 automation system. The driver remains responsible for driving, must keep an eye on the road, and be ready to take control immediately. Tesla itself also emphasizes that TAD does not turn the car into an autonomous vehicle. This is important because the name Full Self-Driving has for years potentially suggested far greater capabilities than what the system actually offers.
Ten Countries Have Already Said Yes
According to Tesla’s current list, TAD is available in the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, Czechia, Croatia, Slovakia, and Latvia. Poland is still not on this list. Tesla states that once approval is granted in another eligible country, the cars can receive this feature through a wireless software update. The system is offered as a subscription for 99 euros per month, which is approximately 436 złoty.
Interestingly, if a driver leaves a country where TAD has been approved for a country without the appropriate approval, the system will be turned off upon crossing the border.
In Slovakia, drivers fought hard for approval
Reuters also covers an interesting aspect related to Tesla’s owners themselves. Tesla Owners Slovakia, a club comprising around 1500 members, actively campaigned for the system to be approved. Members contacted the transportation ministry and even organized a synchronized car light display outside its headquarters to draw officials’ attention to the issue.
Tesla plans to celebrate gaining approval. On October 31, an event will take place at the brand’s center in Bratislava, where people can test drive with TAD and attend special workshops.
The system can still make serious mistakes
Reuters also tested TAD while driving in Slovakia. And it is here that the other side of the whole story emerges. The system handled the crowded highway and merging into traffic well, but it did not slow down in front of a closed barrier during the test. The driver had to brake abruptly on their own.
At a Supercharger, the car was also unable to drive itself into an available charging spot, requiring human intervention once again. This is precisely why European regulators remain cautious. Tesla claims that TAD can reduce the risk of collisions by more than four times, but such claims are questioned by some safety experts. Reuters previously reported that researchers had concerns, including about the methodology of the data presented by Tesla to European regulators.
Tesla had to modify the system for Europe
The Latvian approval also shows that the European version of TAD is not identical to the solution offered in other markets. The local authority analyzed documentation from the Dutch regulator RDW as well as changes introduced by Tesla. These changes included restrictions on exceeding the set speed limit, automatic resetting of manually set speed tolerances after driving stops, and enhancements to the driver attention monitoring system.
Speed was indeed one of the contentious issues earlier on. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) urged EU countries to be cautious, pointing out, among other things, the previous ability to set a significant tolerance above the applicable speed limit.
Now, a decision for the entire Union will be crucial
The approvals of subsequent countries are important for Tesla, but standardizing the rules across the entire European Union would be even more significant. The manufacturer has long been pushing for broader acceptance of the system. The Netherlands was the first country to pave the way for its adoption, with other nations gradually recognizing similar solutions.
According to earlier Reuters reports, a vote that could facilitate wider implementation of TAD in the Union was initially expected in October. However, the deadline has been postponed, and a decision is not expected before December. For Polish Tesla owners, this process will be the most crucial. The manufacturer has not provided a timeline for launching TAD in Poland, and the feature remains unavailable there.
Latvia and Slovakia show, however, that the list of countries allowing this system is growing rapidly. Tesla is thus getting closer to broader adoption in Europe — although we are still talking about an advanced driver assistance system, not a car that allows one to stop driving altogether.
Piotr Sobczyk