RDW explanation of European type approval Tesla with provisional validity in the Netherlands

Who is driving and who is responsible? 

A driver assistance system helps/supports the driver with their driving tasks. FSD Supervised is an advanced driver assistance system. This means that vehicles using FSD Supervised can take over many driving tasks, but are NOT autonomous or self-driving. The driver is supported and remains responsible. This means the driver must always participate in traffic. When FSD Supervised is enabled, various sensors monitor whether the driver’s eyes are on the road and whether their hands are available to take over the steering wheel. Hands therefore do not have to be on the steering wheel, but must be able to take over immediately if necessary. When the system detects that the driver is insufficiently attentive, various signals are given, requiring the driver to demonstrate to the system that they are attentive. It is therefore not permitted or possible, for example, to read a newspaper while driving. If the driver is consistently insufficiently attentive, the system indicates this through signals and ultimately ensure that the system cannot be enabled temporarily. 

Contribution to safety 

Safety is RDW’s top priority. Tesla’s driver controlled assistance system supports the driver more than other systems because, when enabled, it takes over multiple driving tasks. Using driver assistance systems correctly makes a positive contribution to road safety because the driver is supported in their driving tasks; it is a supplement to the driver. Through continuous strict monitoring of the driver in the vehicle, the system is safer than other driver assistance systems. We have thoroughly examined and verified this system for more than one and a half years. Each year we issue about 50,000 type approvals for complete vehicles or vehicle components. Driver assistance systems are also vehicle components that we assess. You can find more about this in our file on Type Approval (in Dutch). 

Differences in admitting vehicles between the European Union and the United States  

The process of admitting vehicles to the road is regulated differently in Europe than in the United States (US). In the EU, vehicles are only admitted with a European type approval that is issued in advance by the European vehicle authorities, of which RDW is one. In the US, admission takes place through self-certification, and the supervisory authority checks afterwards during the in-use phase. Europe also imposes different and stricter requirements on safety and the environment when vehicles are admitted. Another difference is that vehicles in Europe use different software versions than vehicles in the US. The software versions and functionalities of US and European cars are therefore not comparable one-to-one. This means that the FSD Supervised version in the US is NOT comparable to the FSD Supervised version in the EU.  

Driver assistance systems in various vehicles from different brands 

Many vehicles already have advanced driver assistance systems. Issuing a type approval for an advanced driver assistance system is therefore not new. Some type approvals are valid throughout the European Union and others only in certain member states. For example, BMW has an approval to keep hands off the steering wheel on the motorway in combination with an automated lane change. Ford has an approval via Article 39 to keep hands off the steering wheel on the motorway (Ford BlueCruise). And now Tesla has an approval for its driver assistance system with which the vehicle supports the driver in their driving tasks, under the supervision of the driver. 
 
For now only the Netherlands; later possibly admission across the entire European Union   
The type approval for Tesla’s driver assistance system is currently valid only in the Netherlands. To make it possible to use this driver assistance system throughout the European Union, a number of steps still need to be completed: 

1. RDW submits the application for permission across the entire European Union to the European Commission 
2. all member states vote on this application 
3. approval requires a majority of votes within the responsible committee.

If the vote is in favour, the driver assistance system will be valid in all member states, meaning it may be used in all member states of the European Union.