Regulatory Standoff Over Speed Offset
Sweden has formally recommended that the European Union vote against approving Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software for bloc-wide rollout unless the company removes the Speed Offset feature. This function allows drivers to set their FSD system to exceed posted speed limits by a user-defined margin. The recommendation, detailed in a letter dated April 30 and obtained by Reuters, was addressed to the EU’s Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV) ahead of its June 30 meeting. Sweden’s Transport Agency (STA) confirmed that its representative will only vote in favor if Tesla removes the speed-exceeding functionality. The regulator has held direct meetings with Tesla and the Dutch authority RDW, including a two-hour session on June 4, to discuss the issue.
Impact on EU Approval Process
The dispute highlights a fundamental clash between Tesla’s design philosophy and European regulatory expectations. Tesla argues that FSD should mimic assertive human driving by allowing slight speed overruns to match traffic flow, but Nordic regulators insist automated systems must comply strictly with posted limits. Finland and Norway have raised similar concerns about both the speed feature and FSD’s performance on icy roads, where Tesla’s training data from California may be inadequate. The EU approval requires a qualified majority of 15 out of 27 member states representing at least 65% of the population, which effectively needs support from Germany, France, or Italy. None of these major blocs have moved toward approval. While smaller states like Estonia, Denmark, and Belgium have approved FSD under a supervised model where the driver retains legal responsibility, the Nordic position signals political resistance. The June 30 TCMV meeting is expected to be a positioning session rather than a final vote, leaving Tesla with a strategic choice: remove Speed Offset for European markets to salvage approval, or risk delaying bloc-wide authorization into 2027 or beyond.
Source: Automotiveworld
