The Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) has approved a set of changes to Tesla's supervised driver-assistance system in Europe. The most visible change is the name. The RDW says Tesla Assisted Driving (TAD) will appear on the in-car display, in the owner's manual and in all other information for the driver. The approval covers cars with Tesla Assisted Driving and hardware version 4.0 (HW4) or later.
What changes
- Speed margin capped. Drivers can set a percentage by which the system may go above the speed limit when needed for safety and traffic flow. The RDW says this margin was +50% and is now limited to +10%.
- 0% at every start. When the car is started, the speed margin goes back to 0%.
- Other speed functions off by default. The RDW says other speed-related functions are also switched off by default.
Drive Tesla Canada reports that Tesla will deliver the changes in an over-the-air software update. It also reports that the RDW found no adverse or unintended effects on how the system works, so the existing type approval stays valid.
Why now
Drive Tesla Canada says the changes follow talks between Tesla and Germany's Federal Ministry of Transport, which said in October that the two sides had agreed on the 10% limit in September. Germany had also pushed for the new name, arguing that the FSD branding could mislead drivers about what the system can do.
The wider EU approval process is still running through the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV), and its discussions are confidential. According to Drive Tesla Canada, the RDW has told Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia about the approved changes.
