The Dutch regulator, RDW (Netherlands Vehicle Authority), has responded to the buzz surrounding Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system’s expansion into Europe. According to an official statement released on Monday, Tesla is expected to demonstrate in February 2026 that FSD Supervised meets the required standards.
RDW Says Tesla Working On February 2026 FSD Demo
The regulator stated that whether the timeline will be reached or not is yet to be determined, but assured that both parties are engaged in efforts to meet the timeline. The RDW emphasized that road safety is paramount and will not compromise on this aspect.
Details About Tesla’s Application
The RDW also mentioned that it cannot share any other details about Tesla’s or other such applications, as they can contain commercially sensitive information. The regulator urged people not to contact the authority about Tesla’s application, as it takes up unnecessary time for their customer service and will have no bearing on Tesla’s application.
Approval Process
The regulator shared an insight into the approval process, stating that if an application for a technology has been received by authorities for which no prior legislation exists, a Member State must submit an application to the European Commission on behalf of the manufacturer. Approval is subject to majority approval from member states, after which exemptions are issued to the manufacturer for the technology.
Conditions for Approval
Before approval, a manufacturer must demonstrate that the technology complies with regulations and must undergo a comprehensive testing procedure with a type approval authority. If a majority is not reached, the exemption will only apply to the submitting member, and other states can then independently examine the application.
NHTSA Probe
It’s worth noting that the technology is under the radar of NHTSA, which launched a probe into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles in the U.S. after reviewing incidents of traffic violations and accidents involving the automaker’s cars on FSD or Autopilot systems.
Tesla Offered Licensing Opportunities
Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that the automaker offered FSD technology to legacy automakers through licensing opportunities, but added that there were no takers for the system. Musk also likened the automakers to dinosaurs, hinting that they run the risk of being left behind in the autonomous driving race.
Analyst Insights
An analyst from market research firm Melius Research said that Tesla had a lead on its competitors through the FSD tech. Meanwhile, Gerber Kawasaki’s co-founder Ross Gerber recently hailed the improvements in Tesla’s FSD v14, calling it a big step up from previous versions.
Tesla FSD’s Final Puzzle Piece
Musk also touted the upcoming FSD v14.3 update as the final puzzle piece for the company’s self-driving efforts, possibly hinting that Tesla could achieve unsupervised autonomous driving post the update.
Current Price Action
Tesla’s stock surged 6.82% to $417.78 at market close and surged 0.24% to $418.78 during after-hours trading. The company scores well on Momentum and Quality metrics, while offering satisfactory Growth, but poor Value.