- Tesla plans to release its Full Self-Driving software in Europe and China
- The release is said to be planned for Q1 2025, pending approval from regulators
- Recent regulatory changes for driver assistance systems in Europe have helped to make the launch possible
It's official: Tesla has put a clock on launching its Full Self-Driving software in Europe and China.
The automaker included the details of the launch in a post on Tesla CEO Elon Musk's social media platform, X. Tesla notes that it plans to launch the software during the first quarter of 2025, and as always, notes that its timeline and launch of the partial-autonomy feature would be contingent on regulatory approval.
Despite Tesla shooting down rumors last year, it was apparent that the automaker was still building a team in China to help launch FSD in the country. Eventually, the brand confirmed that it was "moving forward" with its plans to bring the software to China but didn't give a specific timeline. Musk later said that Tesla anticipated receiving approval from regulators by the end of 2024.
Similarly, hints that Tesla would bring FSD to Europe have been circulating over the past year. Recent regulation changes in Europe paved the way for Tesla to push its more advanced driver assistance features to the region without major modification to driver monitoring systems.
Couple that with a Tesla Model X validation vehicle being spotted in Europe and a demo of FSD being offered to Rikard Fredriksson, a Swedish Transport Transportation official, on German roads, and it seems to be clear that Tesla has something up its sleeve.
Tesla also revealed a few additional details in the same post, including details about its release of Actually Smart Summon, Autopark and FSD for Cybertruck, as well as in-cabin eye tracking while the driver is wearing sunglasses. Tesla says that it plans to add park, unpark, and reverse drive functions to FSD in October.
With the news also came a positive reception from investors. Tesla shares shot up more than 7% following the timeline, potentially signaling that investors anticipate additional FSD-driven revenue from Europe and China as the features go live.
Now, it's worth adding a word of caution: Tesla's timelines can sometimes be a bit over-ambitious. And with regulatory approval needed to proceed, it's anybody's guess just how long it will be before the feature can launch. One thing is certain though: Tesla is finally readying to release the feature in more markets outside the U.S.
