The Netherlands has become a key testing ground for Tesla’s “Full Self Driving (supervised)” software, with around 40,000 Tesla vehicles now using the driver assistance system across the country.
According to the Dutch road authority, the vehicles have collectively covered 24 million kilometres without any serious incidents since the software was approved on April 10, marking the first such approval in Europe.
The agency stated that it is closely monitoring the technology on a monthly basis, a more frequent review process than the annual assessments typically conducted for vehicle systems.
Although Tesla markets the feature as “Full Self Driving (supervised)”, it remains classified as a driver assistance system. The software can steer, accelerate and brake the vehicle, but drivers are required to remain attentive, keep their eyes on the road and be prepared to take control whenever necessary.
“Because of the continuous and strict monitoring of the driver within the vehicle, the driver assistance system is at least as safe as other driver assistance systems,” the agency said in a statement.
The Dutch authority is also working to secure approval for the technology across the European Union.
Tesla currently charges €99 ($115) per month for access to the FSD software following a 1-month trial period.
The approval process involved extensive testing, with the Dutch road authority conducting 3,000 hours of evaluations on both roads and test tracks under different weather conditions before granting approval.
The technology has also gained support beyond the Netherlands. Belgium, Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania have provisionally approved the software based on the Dutch authority’s assessment.
Meanwhile, the Dutch transport minister defended the decision to approve the technology during a parliamentary discussion earlier this week, highlighting the country’s confidence in the testing and monitoring framework supporting the rollout.
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