Denmark grants provisional approval for FSD... Tesla sales up 136% year-on-year

Denmark has become the fourth European country to approve Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, following the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Estonia. The Danish Road Traffic Authority officially announced the provisional approval on 9 June. Meanwhile, while granting permission for Tesla's FSD system, the Danish authorities have made it clear that all responsibility for using the system still lies with the driver. Denmark's approval of the FSD system comes as something of a surprise, as the country was initially one of the more sceptical nations regarding the introduction of FSD. Following Denmark, Belgium has become the fifth European country to approve the FSD system.

Although Tesla's FSD system is gaining successive approvals from European countries and expanding its influence within the European Union (EU), there is still a long way to go. This is because, despite Lithuania, Estonia, and Denmark all being EU member states like the Netherlands, each country is handling regulatory measures at a national level, independently reviewing and approving the Dutch approval results on their own terms.

Greece is expected to be the next country to approve Tesla's FSD system. In addition, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Ireland are also reportedly currently testing the FSD system.

At present, EU-wide approval for Tesla's FSD system has not yet been granted. Final approval at the Union level is expected around October or December of this year. This approval, which will be decided by a vote of member states, requires at least 15 of the 27 EU member states to vote in favour. If a majority votes against FSD approval, the individual approvals granted by the Netherlands and other countries, including the first to approve it, will all be invalidated after six months. In that case, the FSD system would not be able to operate in any EU member state.

The attitude of European countries towards Tesla has changed markedly compared to a few years ago. As of May, the year-on-year increase in Tesla model sales across European countries has been steep. By country, sales have surged in most European nations: France up 655%, Portugal 349%, Denmark 136%, Spain 113%, Sweden 71%, and Norway 29%. For reference, total electric vehicle registrations across Europe increased by approximately 21% year-on-year as of last April.

Including the four EU member states, Tesla's FSD system is now available in 12 countries worldwide. South Korea is also among those countries.