The Czech Republic also gives the green light to the FSD (Supervised) of Tesla on the country's roads

The Czech Republic has officially recognised the provisional authorisation that the Netherlands granted to the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system from Tesla – also known as FSD (Supervised). With this step forward, the driver assistance system of the North American brand can now be used in seven European Union States, just days before a crucial vote that could extend this approval to all EU countries.

In April, the Dutch authority RDW granted the first European green light to FSD Supervised. It was not a conventional type approval, but a provisional authorisation based on Article 39 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858, which applies to technologies or technical concepts that do not yet fully fit within the rules in force. From then on, the other Community countries could decide whether to accept that authorisation in their territory. The Czech Republic has just done so.

The Czech Ministry of Transport examined the operation of the system and the conditions of the European approval over several months. It maintained contacts at Community level and with representatives of Tesla, and reviewed the technical and operational documentation submitted in the approval process to assess whether it complied with all the regulations in force in the country.

Minister Ivan Bednárik stated that the Czech Republic wants to position itself among the European leaders in autonomous driving technologies and to create an environment that favours their development and gradual introduction, without relaxing safety standards or regulatory oversight.

The Czech Republic thus joins Lithuania (20 May), Estonia (29 May), Denmark (9 June), Belgium (10 June) and Slovenia (7 September). Together with the Netherlands, there are now seven States where FSD (Supervised) can be used on a provisional basis.

As we have already mentioned, the recognition of this authorisation could soon be extended across the entire European Union. Tesla indicated at the beginning of September that the vote that would make this possible could take place on 6 October in the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV). A qualified majority is required: the approval of at least 15 of the 27 Member States and, at the same time, that they represent at least 65% of the EU population.

Tesla is clear about it

To support the system’s reliability, Tesla has launched a web panel with data on distances driven with the assistant and on accidents. The company is convinced that failing to approve this technology would mean the loss of human lives on European roads.

Finally, it is important to clarify that FSD (Supervised) is not full autonomous driving. Tesla went as far as presenting it as a fully autonomous solution until the US authorities intervened. Driving without the driver’s attention is not possible with this system. That is why it now carries the “Supervised” label. It is currently classified as a level 2 SAE advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). This means that vehicles equipped with this system can drive autonomously, even door to door, but the driver must remain attentive and ready to take back control at any time.