An October 6 statement from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport details September talks between Transport Minister Steffen Bilger and Tesla about the future of its "Full Self-Driving" technology suite. They reached agreement on technical and liability issues, prompting Bilger to push for timely EU-wide approval, the office announced.

The ministry says they agreed to allow speeds up to 10% above the limit, conceding that small excesses can sometimes smooth traffic flow. That tackles a major concern regulators had about excessive speeding, as the U.S. version of FSD includes a "Mad Max" mode that drives far over the speed limit in some circumstances.

Regulators were also concerned about the technology's long-controversial name. German regulators consider the FSD name to be misleading. Tesla will reportedly address this by calling it “Tesla Assisted Driving” instead, according to the German account of the discussion.

The ministry praises the system’s urban capabilities, too, noting that it rarely requires driver intervention to handle steering, acceleration, and braking. In general, though, the statement notes it is supporting European regulatory approval for the tech, not actually approving its current form.

FSD’s European rollout has been a patchwork, but approval in Germany might smooth adoption throughout the rest of the European Union. When it debuted in the Netherlands in April, the decision to allow it on public roads followed more than 18 months of assessment. Other countries can recognize that authorization individually, while EU-wide acceptance requires a separate vote by member states.

S. and Europe. S.

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