The Swedish Transport Administration (TRV) has advised against granting Europe-wide approval for Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system unless the U.S. electric vehicle maker removes the feature that allows the vehicle to exceed legal speed limits, according to a regulatory letter dated April 30 obtained via a freedom of information request.
The letter was transmitted to the European Union's Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV), which is scheduled to reconvene on June 30 to discuss the issue prior to a later vote on whether to permit the technology across the bloc. In its submission, TRV said it would recommend that TCMV vote against the proposed EU-wide introduction if Tesla's ability to ignore posted speed limits is not disabled.
Regulatory friction and national approvals
Tesla has already secured approval for its supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in a number of European countries, enabling vehicles to steer themselves on roads and highways under human supervision. A European Commission-level approval would facilitate a broader rollout and support Tesla's operations in the region, where competition is increasing.
Internal documents indicate the Swedish Transport Agency (STA), which acts as Sweden's national type approver, has raised concerns directly with Tesla and with the Dutch regulator RDW. These discussions included a two-hour meeting on June 4. The RDW granted provisional approval for FSD in April and is advocating for an EU-wide endorsement.
A TRV spokesperson told Reuters that Sweden's position had not changed since the April letter and that TRV and STA are aligned. The spokesperson said Sweden's representative at the TCMV will only support approval if the functionality allowing the vehicle to exceed legal speed limits is removed.
The STA, which speaks for Sweden at the TCMV, said discussions are ongoing within the EU committee and that it is "assessing the matter to establish a Swedish position."
Speed control features under scrutiny
Tesla's FSD uses onboard cameras and map data to detect posted speed limits. While Tesla's U.S. versions offer a range of named driving modes such as Sloth, Chill, Standard, Hurry and Mad Max that can influence speed behavior, those labeled modes are not offered in Europe. Instead, the company supplies settings described as "Contextual Max Speed," which adapts to traffic flow, and a "Speed Offset," which permits the vehicle to travel at speeds above the legal limit by a driver-defined margin.
In its letter, TRV warned that "allowing automated systems to systematically exceed legal speed limits ... risks undermining both the legal framework and the expected safety benefits of vehicle automation." The agency called for the relevant speeding functionality to be removed and recommended a TCMV vote against EU-wide approval if Tesla does not take that step.
Tesla's user manual cautions drivers not to rely solely on the system for speed-limit compliance and instructs users to "drive at a safe speed based on traffic and road conditions." Tesla did not respond to requests for comment on the TRV letter and related concerns.
Positions across Europe
Responses from other European nations have varied. Several Nordic regulators, including Finland and Norway, have raised reservations. Conversely, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark and Belgium have allowed supervised FSD following the Netherlands' provisional approval.
An Estonian transport official acknowledged that speeding remained a concern but said the country approved FSD on the basis that the driver retains ultimate responsibility when the supervised system is in use. Estonia has not yet determined how it will vote at the TCMV. A spokesperson for Denmark's road authority emphasised that drivers retain full responsibility for speed compliance when operating with FSD enabled.
Potential consequences of a rejection
EU-level approval requires a qualified majority: at least 15 of the 27 member states representing at least 65% of the bloc's population. The Danish road authority has noted that if the TCMV rejects EU approval, the Dutch provisional national approval would lapse after six months and any national approvals that relied on that Dutch decision would also be withdrawn.
As deliberations continue within the TCMV and among member states, the specific outcome remains uncertain. Sweden's recommendation places a clear conditional barrier to the technology's Europe-wide acceptance unless Tesla alters or disables the functionality that allows the vehicle to exceed posted speed limits.
Summary
The Swedish Transport Administration has recommended a vote against EU approval of Tesla's supervised Full Self-Driving system unless Tesla removes the feature that permits speeds above legal limits. The matter will be discussed at the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles on June 30, with national positions still forming across the bloc. RDW's earlier approval and support for an EU rollout contrasts with the Swedish stance, and several member states have adopted differing approaches to national approvals.