The Tesla Assisted Driving name is the one Tesla offered Germany, and it is the name on Tesla’s German product page. On October 6, the Federal Ministry of Transport said the old name, “FSD – Full Self-Driving Supervised,” is somewhat misleading, and Transport Minister Steffen Bilger said he will push for a timely approval across Europe. The system can support accelerating, braking, and steering. The person driving has to stay attentive the whole time.
What the ministry wrote
The statement is on the ministry’s own site. Bilger wants this approval to move, and the description he published is specific. The system can support certain driving tasks, including accelerating, braking, and steering. It is a driver assistance system, and the driver has to remain attentive at all times. The ministry calls the name “FSD” somewhat misleading because the system does not take over the full driving task. Tesla offered to rename it Tesla Assisted Driving.
Bilger’s statement, in translation:
Approval of Tesla’s assistance system is currently under discussion at the European level. Many technical points still have to be settled, along with questions of liability. I discussed this with Tesla in September. We quickly found a shared understanding and reached a constructive agreement. On that basis I will now push for the system to be approved across Europe in a timely way. My goal is that Tesla drivers can use the benefits of Assisted Driving across the whole EU as soon as possible.
Germany is accompanying that procedure with the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), the Dutch type-approval authority, and Tesla. The ministry describes the approach as open to the technology and oriented toward safety. On the findings so far, the system shows a high level of performance, especially in city traffic. Individual functions and the question of liability were examined closely.
A ten percent ceiling, with the driver still responsible
The September talks also fixed a speed point. The ministry and Tesla agreed that the assistance system may exceed the posted limit slightly, by a maximum of ten percent. Germany said it will support that approach in the European procedure. The reason the ministry gives is traffic flow. A slight excess can, depending on the situation, contribute to smoother movement.
The same talks put responsibility in city traffic at the center. Because this is a driver assistance system, the person driving stays responsible for operating the vehicle. The ministry says that person remains 100 percent responsible for safe operation.
Germany says it will support a timely continuation of the European approval process, so the benefit of the system can reach drivers while high safety standards stay in place.
Eight countries already on Tesla’s list
Tesla’s Dutch support page is the one that names the countries. Tesla Assisted Driving is listed as available in the Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Croatia. Tesla says activation is blocked where approval has not been granted. If the system is on and the car enters a country without that approval, Tesla says it switches off after a warning that the border is ahead.
Under the driver’s supervision, Tesla says the car changes lanes, takes the turn the navigation calls for, goes around vehicles and objects, and makes left and right turns. The same page says the features available now require active supervision, and they do not make the car autonomous.
The driver turns it on with the right scroll wheel, at any speed under 140 km/h, or under the posted maximum in that country when the posted maximum is lower.
Germany’s page, and the €99 subscription
Tesla’s German product page is titled Tesla Assisted Driving. The form on it asks to be notified when Tesla Assisted Driving is available for test drives in the region. Germany is not among the eight countries on the Dutch list, which fits a notify form for local test drives.
A separate German support page already uses a second name, Tesla Assisted Driving Basic, next to Autopilot. Basic includes highway lane-change assist when the driver uses the indicator. City steering assist is listed there as a future function. Tesla says the Autopilot and Basic features that are available now require the driver to monitor the car, and they do not make the vehicle autonomous. The package in the ministry statement is the supervised assistance system previously called FSD.
On Tesla’s Croatian subscription page, Tesla Assisted Driving Basic or Tesla Assisted Driving is offered at €99 a month. That page includes the same eight European countries, and Tesla notes that names and features can differ by country.
Musk’s reply
On the morning of October 7, Elon Musk quoted a post about Bilger’s approval push and wrote exactly: “🇩🇪 Danke Schön! 🇩🇪” The line welcomes the minister’s support. The rename, the ten percent ceiling, and the liability point are in the ministry statement from October 6.
Eight countries already have Tesla Assisted Driving on Tesla’s own list, with a border shutoff, a 140 km/h activation limit, and a driver who remains fully responsible. Germany is now arguing for that same system across the EU, under the name Tesla offered, and the approval is still a European procedure.