The French Transport Ministry announced on Wednesday that Paris has approved Tesla’s autonomous vehicle testing on local roads, marking a significant shift in the nation’s regulatory stance. The authorization follows direct discussions between Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
“With two vehicles being made available, we are now entering a new phase: that of on-road trials,” Tabarot stated in a post on the social media platform X, describing the conversation with Musk as “constructive.”
The decision represents a reversal of the government’s position from just two months prior. In July, French authorities had declined to authorize Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system, citing unresolved safety concerns. However, the minister appears to have revised this assessment after engaging with the Tesla leadership.
This move aligns France with a growing number of European nations embracing the technology. Since the beginning of the year, five European countries have permitted vehicles equipped with Tesla’s FSD Supervised system to operate on public roads.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is also advancing its autonomous vehicle sector. On Thursday, ride-hailing giant Uber and British self-driving startup Wayve announced the launch of a commercial robotaxi service in London. Fifteen autonomous vehicles will initially operate under human supervision while awaiting formal guidance from London’s transport regulator, Transport for London (TfL).
Wayve has outlined plans to expand this partnership beyond the UK, with upcoming deployments scheduled for Tokyo and “ten other cities.”
Two months and a direct phone call with Musk? France must be desperate for tech investment.
Wait, did they actually reverse the safety concerns or just cave to pressure? I’m skeptical about FSD supervised on our roads.
Finally! I’ve been waiting for this. Hope the trials go smoothly and data proves it’s safe.
Interesting that Uber and Wayve are launching in London same week. Europe is heating up for autonomy.