Tesla Hired a Lot of ADAS Test Operators in Europe, and We All Know What It Means

Many still argue whether Tesla's Level-2 driver assist systems or Cruise, and Waymo's Level-4 systems are better. The truth is that this dispute is hard to settle once and for all unless either party manages a breakthrough that will leave everybody in shock. Neither system is perfect for now, even though robotaxi companies assume legal responsibility for their cars, whereas Tesla doesn't.

The EV maker's FSD Beta might not be able to work unsupervised, but it can make decisions based on what it "sees," much like humans do. On the other hand, Cruise and Waymo rely on a set of HD maps for navigation data, which explains the geofencing. Still, when new elements appear, such as a construction site, the software returns errors, and the cars stop, unable to figure out what to do next.

With this dispute still ongoing, Tesla FSD Beta only works in North America, where road signage and regulations are more consistent. The biggest challenge is to extrapolate everything Tesla FSD "learned" in the US and Canada and adapt it to European roads and rules. Then the Chinese, and so on. A human driver would have little problem adjusting to the different situations in each country. Tesla claims its FSD Beta should be able to do the same, using only camera-based Vision.

The situation in Europe differs from the US, and Tesla needs to get regulatory approval before starting any testing. Allowing the average Joe to try the FSD Beta software here is inconceivable, as Tesla must first prove its system is safe. For that, Tesla needs to start internal testing in Europe before attempting a public release of the software. It also makes us pretty confident that the Europeans will get a more crippled version of the FSD Beta and even Autopilot, at least for a while.

Tesla signaled the desire to accelerate FSD Beta deployment in other regions outside North America. Elon Musk said that 90% of the FSD Beta features developed for the US would apply worldwide, so the remaining 10 percent should not be hard to adapt. Although no official information surfaced, many believed that Musk's recent visit to China was related to starting FSD Beta testing. We have no clue about Europe, although Musk spat with the EU over Twitter moderation and data might hamper FSD deployment on the continent.

Hopefully, this would not be the case, as Tesla is gearing up to start internal FSD Beta testing in Europe. A flurry of job openings is listed on the company's Careers portal. ADAS test operator positions are offered in the UK, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Norway, Italy, and even Turkey, which is not an EU country. This points to a broad testing operation across the continent, with possibly more positions soon available in other countries, including Eastern Europe.

In late June, Tesla software trackers noticed that one car in Germany and one in Belgium also got the FSD Beta V11.3.6 via the 2023.12.10 software update. Neither country is listed on Tesla's Career portal, so this might be unrelated. Still, it's important to know that the European Commission fast-tracked legislation regulating the automated driving systems, paving the way for Tesla to start European testing. According to people familiar with the matter, European lawmakers will allow limited hands-on testing even before the legislation is finalized.