Finland Approves Tesla Assisted Driving After Name Change and Tighter Speed Controls

Finland transport authority Traficom granted provisional approval on Wednesday, November 11, for Tesla Assisted Driving, the system Tesla formerly called Full Self-Driving. The decision means Tesla can immediately start offering the system to customers in Finland and it can now be used on Finnish roads, the agency said in a statement.

Traficom approved the system after Tesla renamed it from Full Self-Driving and tightened speed-control settings that critics said encouraged speeding. Finland has 8,000 to 9,000 Teslas compatible with the system, and it had signalled in June that it could approve the technology ahead of a European Union-wide decision. Nearly a dozen countries, including Slovakia and Belgium, have granted provisional approvals. The Netherlands became the first European country to do so in April, and Estonia, Croatia and Belgium are among the countries that have since allowed the technology, which lets cars steer, accelerate and brake automatically under driver supervision.

The bigger prize is still open. The technology needs support from a qualified majority of EU states, and Tesla has yet to secure backing from any of the EU largest member states, whose support is likely to be crucial to winning approval across the bloc. The next meeting at which an EU vote could take place is scheduled for December. Traficom recognised the provisional type-approval granted by the Dutch authority, allowing the system to be used as a driver assistance system in Finland.