Tesla drops ‘Full Self-Driving’ name in Europe after Germany pushback

Tesla has renamed its "Full Self-Driving" system to "Tesla Assisted Driving" across Europe, after Germany's Transport Ministry said the old name was misleading. The ministry argued the system doesn't actually handle the full driving task — the driver still has to pay attention at all times and remains responsible for the car. Tesla offered the new name during talks with Germany's transport minister in September, and the two sides also agreed the system should cap out at 10% over the speed limit, a notable change since versions approved elsewhere, like in the Netherlands, allow speeds up to 50% over the limit.

The name change is mostly cosmetic — the marketing page still promises the car will drive "almost anywhere" with minimal driver intervention, and still touts Robotaxi plans. In the US, the product is still called "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" and still costs $99 a month. Germany itself isn't yet on Tesla's list of eight EU countries where the system is approved (Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Slovenia, Czechia, Croatia). A bloc-wide EU approval vote has slipped to December at the earliest, and needs support from 15 of 27 member states representing 65% of the EU's population. France and Sweden have both raised concerns about the system's speeding behavior.

For homeowners, this is mainly relevant if you're weighing a Tesla purchase or already own one and use the driver-assist feature — it doesn't involve home energy systems or rebates.