The Zhitong Finance App learned that Tesla (TSLA.US) is abandoning its “fully autonomous driving (FSD)” brand name to push for approval of this driver assistance system in Europe. The name has always been criticized and accused of being dangerously misleading. Tesla's move is intended to draw a clear line with this name.
Recently, the car company switched to using the name Tesla Assisted Driving (Tesla Assisted Driving) on its European official website. However, the US website still retains the name of this technology: Full Self-Driving (Supervised)) (Full Self-Driving (Supervised)).
For a long time, Tesla's naming method for this driver assistance system has been the focus of controversy among regulators, safety activists, and even some Tesla car owners. Various parties believe that the name is easy to mislead people into thinking that vehicles can be fully automated, but in reality, drivers must always be alert and ready to take over the vehicle at any time. CEO Elon Musk was also criticized for his exaggerated and unfounded propaganda about Tesla's vehicle capabilities.
Last year, the California Department of Motor Vehicles threatened to suspend Tesla's sales operations in the state, citing suspected misleading driver-assistance technology marketing. Only after Tesla took corrective measures did the supervisory authorities withdraw the penalties. The content of the rectification included the gradual discontinuation of the Autopilot (Autonomous Assisted Driving) brand name, and clearly stating that the fully autonomous driving (FSD) function requires full supervision by the driver.
FSD is an important revenue source for Tesla's automotive business, and the feature usually charges users a monthly subscription fee of $99. At the same time, it is also the core gripper for Musk to reposition the company. He hopes to turn this car company into a cutting-edge technology company and lead the development of autonomous driving and robotics technology.
Tesla is currently seeking to introduce the FSD system to Europe, which has been slow to adopt the technology. When approving the implementation of the FSD in April of this year, the Dutch regulators emphasized that the European version has more restrictions than the US version, and stated in a statement that “vehicles equipped with the supervised FSD are not autonomous vehicles.”
Tesla continues to apply for permission to enter the system in other European countries.