Tesla is facing new regulatory headwinds, this time in Europe, due to one of its autopilot features.
According to the German newspaper Bild, the electric vehicle manufacturer is facing a review by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) over the carmaker’s automated lane-change function and whether it is approved for use in Europe.
This is the latest pushback the company has experienced in Europe, compounding Tesla’s problems in Germany. The company planned to start operating its Gigafactory last summer, and suffered several delays due to ongoing safety precaution examinations. According to local media, Tesla could get the official green light to begin production in March if it gets the factory’s approval.
Tesla is planning to build the Model Y at the plant, which will have capacity for around 500,000 a year, according to the company’s statements. Tesla reported global sales of 936,222 vehicles in 2021 — an 87% increase from the year before. The Gigafactory in Berlin will allow it to serve European markets without relying on expensive imports from its Chinese and U.S. factories.
The investigation by German regulators over the autopilot feature comes a few weeks after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a safety recall report that affected nearly 54,000 Tesla vehicles, which came to a complete stop after the electric car maker discovered a software malfunction.
The order by the NHTSA stemmed from faulty full self-driving software on the vehicles that let them roll through stop signs without stopping. The feature, known as a “rolling stop,” allows the vehicle to travel through intersections at up to 5.6 mph before coming to stop. The recall includes Model S sedans and X SUVs from 2016 through 2022, as well as 2017 to 2022 Model 3 sedans and 2020 through 2022 Model Y SUVs.
Read more: Regulators Ordered Tesla to Fix Malfunctioning ‘Full Self-Driving’ Software
Self-Driving Regulation
Countries around the world are exploring new ways to regulate autonomous cars and vehicles that include self-driving features.
The U.S. may be lagging when it comes to regulation that supports autonomous vehicles technology. The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee held a hearing Feb. 2 on the “road ahead for automated vehicles,” where most of the participants highlighted the need to adopt new rules for autonomous vehicles, with differences in what is the most important area to regulate. However, there isn’t any specific plan to have federal regulations for the time being.
Two of the leading countries on autonomous vehicle deployment are China and Singapore, where governments have authorized pilot tests and have opened many public roads for testing. Singapore even has a commercial autonomous commuter bus available for residents for a small fee.
In Europe, Germany and France has passed laws to amend national road traffic laws to allow certain autonomous vehicle technology deployments.
In the U.K., the Law Commission of England and Wales, along with the Scottish Law commission, recommended new laws to regulate autonomous vehicles, even suggesting that carmakers and software companies should be held accountable for potential traffic accidents or offenses when the car is in full driverless mode.
See also: UK Law Could Hold Automakers, Software Firms Accountable in Autonomous Cars
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