Musk hopes Europe and China approve Tesla’s FSD next month
Tesla is poised to secure regulatory approval in Europe and China for its Full Self-Driving system as soon as next month, according to CEO Elon Musk’s statement on Thursday. This move comes as the electric automaker aims to enhance software revenue in the face of declining vehicle sales. The approvals are essential for Tesla, which faces pressure to generate revenue from software and services while seeking to monetize FSD beyond the US. “We hope to get Supervised Full Self-Driving approval in Europe, hopefully next month, and then maybe a similar timing for China,” Musk said. Following the comment, shares of the automaker experienced an increase of approximately 1.5%. Tesla has been pursuing approval for its FSD system in Europe, where stringent vehicle safety regulations and a fragmented regulatory landscape have hindered deployment in comparison to the U.S.
The The Dutch vehicle authority RDW announced in November that it anticipates making a decision regarding FSD software in February. Tesla stated that once it obtains approval in the Netherlands, other EU countries may acknowledge the exemption and permit a rollout prior to receiving formal EU approval. Musk has been framing Tesla as a self-driving and humanoid robotics enterprise, despite the fact that the majority of its revenue continues to stem from its electric vehicle sector, which is encountering increasing competition. According to a report, registration of Tesla’s vehicles declined by 11.4% in California last year, resulting in its market share in the state dropping below 50%.
The company has announced a second consecutive decline in vehicle deliveries in 2025, relinquishing its status as the largest electric vehicle manufacturer globally to China’s BYD. FSD is categorized as an advanced driver assistance feature that necessitates drivers to stay vigilant, and it has come under regulatory scrutiny due to concerns regarding the safety and oversight of automated driving technologies. Musk has consistently stated that a significant portion of the artificial intelligence created for autonomous vehicles will also serve as the foundation for Tesla’s upcoming humanoid robots. Musk stated on Thursday that he anticipates robots will surpass humans in number.
On Thursday, he stated that Tesla anticipates selling humanoid robots to the public by the end of next year, a timeline that is later than what he had previously outlined. Experts and executives in the industry have noted that scaling humanoid robots for practical applications is a technically intricate challenge, partly due to the insufficient data required to train the AI models that drive robot behavior. “For Optimus, what they (the market) need is credible evidence of scalable manufacturing, a regulatory path, and unit economics if possible,” said Ken Mahoney.
