Musk welcomes German backing for Tesla driver assistance tech as group chases EU approval

By Marie Mannes and Miranda Murray

BERLIN, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday welcomed Germany's backing for the US automaker's driver-assistance software system, as he seeks Europe-wide approval for the technology that traffic-safety researchers have warned carries inflated safety claims.

"Danke schoen," wrote Musk on his social media platform X about German Transport Minister Steffen Bilger pushing for approval of the "Full Self-Driving" technology across Europe.

Bilger said in a statement on Tuesday that he is advocating for prompt EU approval after discussing numerous technical details, as well as liability issues, with Tesla last month.

A Reuters report published Wednesday detailed how Tesla has mounted a pressure campaign to win FSD approval in the EU by casting safety regulators as feckless bureaucrats blocking its life-saving technology. Tesla has pushed regulators directly to reduce the rigour of safety reviews, submitted its own research making bold crash-reduction claims, and used social media to mobilize Tesla enthusiasts to demand speedy approvals.

But Tesla’s lobbying is built on faulty company safety research that can’t support the company’s safety claims to officials or the public, according to seven traffic-safety researchers who examined its methodology for Reuters. The company’s European research doesn’t examine crash rates or traffic deaths at all, instead using certain driving behaviours, such as hard braking or horn-honking, as a proxy.

As part of its discussions with Tesla, Germany agreed with the company that the system may slightly exceed the maximum speed limit by up to 10% – an approach Germany will also support within the European approval process, where speeding has become one of the main points of contention.

Safety advocates and some regulators argue Tesla's use of a speed-offset function, which allows the system to drive above the posted limit, should be removed before approval is granted.

Bilger added that Tesla has also offered to rename the system "Tesla Assisted Driving" to address concerns that the name is somewhat misleading. The system offers assistance to drivers, but is not fully autonomous.

"My goal is for Tesla drivers to be able to enjoy the benefits of 'assisted driving' throughout the EU without delay," said Bilger.

TESLA LOBBYING HARD FOR EU APPROVAL

Germany is the latest in a handful of European countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium, to throw their support behind the technology.

However, several EU countries, including Sweden and France, have expressed concerns about FSD exceeding speed limits, and an EU vote expected for October has been pushed back to at least December while some countries do additional tests.

The Europe-specific version of the system approved by Dutch regulators earlier this year excluded some features available in the US, including a so-called 'Mad Max' setting, but retained a function that can lift the vehicle's maximum speed to as much as 50% above the detected speed limit.

Tesla, whose first European factory was built outside Berlin, has called FSD approval key to boosting sales in Europe, where it is seeking to regain market share amid growing competition from Chinese electric-vehicle makers.

(Reporting by Miranda Murray and Marie Mannes; Editing by Jan Harvey)