Britain blocks launch of Elon Musk’s self-driving Tesla
James Titcomb
Technology Editor
08 March 2025 2:00pm GMT
Britain has thwarted the launch of Tesla’s self-driving car software, limiting key features and further risking the ire of Elon Musk.
Department for Transport (DfT) officials have frustrated plans to legalise advanced driver assistance systems across Europe, according to documents seen by The Telegraph. Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) software is leading the car industry’s push to automation.
Mr Musk is banking on autonomous driving being the next source of growth as Tesla’s sales decline amid a political backlash over his support for Donald Trump.
The Tesla chief, who has frequently clashed with Sir Keir Starmer in recent months, has said that autonomy will be the “main driver” of value. Tesla shares have fallen by almost a third this year as it faces sales declines in many of its key markets.
Tesla’s top lobbyist in Europe left the company in October, hitting out at the slow process that means the technology – introduced in the US in 2020 – may not make it to Europe until 2028.
Minutes from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) – the body that decides new safety rules for vehicles – show that DfT officials raised concerns about plans to approve wide-ranging driver assistance systems.
As originally drafted, the plans would have allowed vehicles to make manoeuvres such as lane changes, junction turns and stopping and starting at traffic lights while motorists had their hands off the wheel.
However, the changes have now been watered down to restrict the systems to “highway” moves such as lane switching and to require drivers to keep their hands on the wheel.
In September, UK officials proposed the restrictions, saying: “Introducing system-initiated manoeuvres is a significant step which entails a degree of unknown.