Tesla is pressuring European regulators to approve its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) advanced driver-assistance system, claiming that delays in rolling out FSD across the continent are costing lives. But scientists said there was no evidence to support that claim, according to an explosive new investigation by Reuters.

The outlet reviewed internal emails between Tesla and the Dutch regulator RDW, interviewed agency staffers, and sought the views of seven independent traffic-safety researchers, who identified significant flaws in safety reports Tesla submitted to European authorities. As part of its campaign, Tesla also rallied its fans to pressure European regulators to approve FSD speedily, according to the investigation.

FSD is kind of a big deal for Tesla right now. CEO Elon Musk has bet the company's future on autonomy, AI, and robotics unlocking its next phase of growth. A version of FSD also powers Tesla's Cybercab and Model Y robotaxis in the U.S., although the rollout of that has been notably slow. For Tesla's passenger cars, expanding FSD into Europe could also open up a huge new market worth millions in additional subscription revenue.

However, there are no publicly available independent or peer-reviewed studies showing that FSD is actually safer than a human driver. Which means authorities have to take Tesla's word for it before conducting their own tests.

According to the investigation, Tesla couldn't make a meaningful case for FSD’s improved safety over human drivers in an “Evidence Dashboard” submitted to European regulators in April. The data reportedly covered far fewer FSD test miles than the hundreds of millions of miles covered by Tesla drivers.

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