Electric vehicle giant Tesla has recently changed the name of its driver assistance system in Europe, following years of claims that it had oversold the product as fully self-driving and resulting criticism.
On the electric car manufacturer's websites in Germany and other European countries, the system is now called "Tesla Assisted Driving" – making it immediately clear that it is merely an assistance system.
Tesla previously referred to it as "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)."
For years, the company has deflected claims that the name promises fully autonomous driving whereas in reality, the driver must be ready to take control of the vehicle at any time and retains full liability.
Tesla previously dropped its initial name, "Autopilot," for its basic driver-assistance technology following legal disputes.
In its U.S. home market, Tesla is currently sticking with "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)," despite ongoing debates there as well.
The controversial "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) stems from pledges by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk that the company's vehicles would become fully autonomous.
Musk has been projecting this for the near future for a decade. However, it was only recently that Tesla started production on a robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals and deployed a few self-driving vehicles in the U.S.
Even then, the company faces pushback from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) because regulations require a physical brake pedal, and Tesla failed to apply for an exemption.
Following initial criticism, Tesla added the suffix "Supervised" to the FSD name to reflect the system's current status. The intention is to drop the suffix once human supervision is no longer required.
At the same time, Musk's vision for autonomous driving is fundamentally challenged by some experts and competitors. This is because he insists that self-driving cars should rely solely on cameras.
In contrast, rivals such as Google's sister company Waymo also utilize radar sensors and lidar (laser radar) to closely scan the vehicle's surroundings.
Critics of Tesla's approach point out that cameras do not offer enough safety in poor visibility or bright sunlight.
Tesla's FSD, now called Assisted Driving in Europe, has so far only been approved in a few EU countries, despite the carmaker's prolonged efforts to gain pan-European approval.
German Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger stated a few days ago that he supports a Europe-wide approval following a "constructive agreement" with Tesla on technical and liability issues.
This includes a condition that the assistance system may only exceed the speed limit by a maximum of 10% and that drivers remain "100% responsible for safe vehicle operation."
According to a recent ministry statement, Tesla offered to change the name to Assisted Driving.
