Tesla FSD will not be available in France for now

Tesla’s FSD system will not be made available in France. The state has declined to permit its rollout, although the situation could still change.

For now, there will be no FSD in France. Asked about Tesla’s autonomous-driving system, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot explained why it has not been authorised in the country.

FSD, meaning Full Self-Driving, is a system included in Tesla vehicles and offered through a subscription. Its purpose is to enable autonomous driving, with the car carrying out manoeuvres itself. This does not, however, mean the driver can be absent: they must remain in the driving seat and, crucially, be ready to take control of the vehicle immediately whenever required. They must therefore stay alert at all times.

Tesla FSD is not authorised in France

On the Agora platform, which allows citizens to put questions to the government, a user asked whether the FSD system was indeed scheduled to be deployed in France. Philippe Tabarot replied in a lengthy video:

“The Netherlands has chosen to depart from the international and European regulatory framework and to authorise its use on its territory. In France, we consider that this system brings a number of technological advances, but that the trade-offs in terms of safety are not yet sufficient for authorisation as things stand. Especially since this device is not an autonomous-driving device: the driver remains responsible for driving the vehicle at all times, including when FSD is activated.”

An FSD system that takes liberties with road rules

As FSD is a computer system, it is not supposed to make mistakes. Yet it does take certain liberties with the Highway Code - which is, for its part, entirely human - in order to achieve the goals set for it. According to the minister, this is precisely the central issue:

“We have found that the system can exceed speed limits if it detects that the vehicles around it are travelling faster. Put simply, it can drive at 70 km/h instead of 50 (…) The Highway Code is therefore not being followed.”

Safety concerns over driver attention

Going beyond speed limits, these freedoms may result in serious accidents, which explains the government’s cautious stance:

“The system cannot guarantee an optimal level of driver attention in urban areas (…) a lack of attention can have very serious consequences, both for people outside the vehicle and for its occupants.”

Although FSD is a safe system, it is not infallible. In the United States, the TeslaDeaths website records every death connected with Tesla vehicles. It lists 65 deaths associated with Autopilot use, but only 2 linked to FSD. That is a low figure, but it is still too many. The key question is: is it more than with human drivers?

Philippe Tabarot says that the FSD ban is not permanent, as discussions are under way with the Netherlands and the other countries that have accepted it. The technology could be rolled out in the future, but “within a framework of trust” and with some adjustments if necessary.