Photo: @MilMileBattery via X
Last year, the European Commission announced fast-tracking the autonomous driving regulations, raising hopes that Tesla FSD would be allowed on European roads in 2024. However, the way the rules have been defined prevents Tesla's software from functioning as designed, making it unusable. The best European drivers can hope for is a tweaked older version of the FSD Beta software, not the end-to-end AI FSD V12.
Tesla achieved an important breakthrough with the end-to-end AI (V12) version of its Full Self-Driving software. Eliminating the code and relying on neural networks from images in to controls out brought a vastly improved FSD, able to drive (supervised) almost anywhere. Following overwhelmingly positive feedback, Elon Musk decided to roll out the FSD V12.3 software to all compatible Tesla EVs in the US. It also offered a free one-month trial to everyone so that people could see the progress for themselves.
People who tested the FSD V12.3 software unanimously praised it as a major achievement, paving the way toward autonomous driving. So far, Tesla FSD still needs human supervision, so Tesla called it "Supervised FSD." That's still a step further from the FSD Beta moniker, fulfilling one of the most incredible prophecies Musk made last year: that the FSD 12 would not be beta anymore.
Almost everyone who tested the latest version of Tesla's self-driving software noticed the human-like behavior. The software drives smoothly and, intriguingly, finds creative solutions to complex traffic situations. This shows that the end-to-end AI starts to "understand" the world, keeping track of countless vehicles and pedestrians moving around and finding the best course of action like a human would. Consider it a ChatGPT moment, if you will, although many argue that large language models have no clue what they're talking about. They just arrange the words in the most likely order.
However good the Tesla FSD is becoming in North America, it has yet to give Tesla owners in other world regions a chance to test it. European and Chinese customers have been hoping to get a taste of the (partly) autonomous driving software for a long time. A recent change in European regulations has raised the hopes that Tesla could deploy FSD on the Continent as soon as this year. However, Tesla has since offered a more nuanced perspective.
Last year, the European Commission announced fast-tracking the European autonomous driving regulations, known as the "UNECE Regulation on Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS)." This made many believe that Tesla could finally certify FSD in Europe. However, only Phase 1 of the DCAS regulations has been finalized and will be effective this year. This only allows hands-on driving until the Phase 2 legislation is adopted.
As Rohan Patel, Tesla's senior global director of public policy and business development, explained in a reply on X, the DCAS Phase 1 will only enter effect in November. The regulations won't allow system-initiated maneuvers, meaning that drivers must approve every significant maneuver or set of maneuvers. This would make it impossible for Tesla's Supervised FSD to be certified in Europe and, in fact, all countries that adhere to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) regulations.
Patel suggested that Tesla could "make some small improvements to the older versions of FSD, based on the updated DCAS regulations at the end of the year." This means that European drivers will not see the wonders of automated driving soon and will have to contend with a crippled version of the FSD Beta from 2022-2023. That is, until UNECE finalizes Phase 2 of the DCAS regulations to allow autonomous driving features without human confirmation.
People who tested the FSD V12.3 software unanimously praised it as a major achievement, paving the way toward autonomous driving. So far, Tesla FSD still needs human supervision, so Tesla called it "Supervised FSD." That's still a step further from the FSD Beta moniker, fulfilling one of the most incredible prophecies Musk made last year: that the FSD 12 would not be beta anymore.
Almost everyone who tested the latest version of Tesla's self-driving software noticed the human-like behavior. The software drives smoothly and, intriguingly, finds creative solutions to complex traffic situations. This shows that the end-to-end AI starts to "understand" the world, keeping track of countless vehicles and pedestrians moving around and finding the best course of action like a human would. Consider it a ChatGPT moment, if you will, although many argue that large language models have no clue what they're talking about. They just arrange the words in the most likely order.
However good the Tesla FSD is becoming in North America, it has yet to give Tesla owners in other world regions a chance to test it. European and Chinese customers have been hoping to get a taste of the (partly) autonomous driving software for a long time. A recent change in European regulations has raised the hopes that Tesla could deploy FSD on the Continent as soon as this year. However, Tesla has since offered a more nuanced perspective.
Last year, the European Commission announced fast-tracking the European autonomous driving regulations, known as the "UNECE Regulation on Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS)." This made many believe that Tesla could finally certify FSD in Europe. However, only Phase 1 of the DCAS regulations has been finalized and will be effective this year. This only allows hands-on driving until the Phase 2 legislation is adopted.
As Rohan Patel, Tesla's senior global director of public policy and business development, explained in a reply on X, the DCAS Phase 1 will only enter effect in November. The regulations won't allow system-initiated maneuvers, meaning that drivers must approve every significant maneuver or set of maneuvers. This would make it impossible for Tesla's Supervised FSD to be certified in Europe and, in fact, all countries that adhere to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) regulations.
Patel suggested that Tesla could "make some small improvements to the older versions of FSD, based on the updated DCAS regulations at the end of the year." This means that European drivers will not see the wonders of automated driving soon and will have to contend with a crippled version of the FSD Beta from 2022-2023. That is, until UNECE finalizes Phase 2 of the DCAS regulations to allow autonomous driving features without human confirmation.
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