Tesla has secured a significant regulatory win with Norway’s road authority, Statens vegvesen, granting a two-year exemption to test its FSD Supervised system on public roads. Approval represents a critical step in Tesla’s European expansion strategy, allowing the company to collect real-world data under government oversight rather than relying solely on simulations or theoretical arguments.
The Norwegian approval allows Tesla to operate FSD v13 with modified steering and speed control capabilities on registered EU-type-approved vehicles. What’s particularly noteworthy about this exemption is its focus on safety guardrails—only Tesla-trained drivers can operate the vehicles during these tests, addressing a primary concern of European regulators.
Tesla’s FSD Strategy Gains Traction as Norway Grants Two-Year Road Test Exemption
Documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests reveal Tesla’s careful positioning of FSD Supervised as a version-controlled, testable system built on OTA updates—not an experimental or unsupervised technology. Framing appears designed to reassure regulators that the system operates within acceptable safety parameters while gathering valuable performance data.
Norway isn’t Tesla’s only European testing ground. In the Netherlands, FSD Supervised tests are already underway in coordination with RDW, the Dutch authority responsible for EU-wide type approvals. These tests reportedly include challenging urban environments like Amsterdam’s complex street networks.
These two countries form the foundation of what appears to be a strategic multi-country approval approach. Instead of waiting for the lengthy UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) process to establish comprehensive autonomous driving regulations, Tesla is pursuing national approvals while collecting safety logs and providing regulators with direct access to operational data.
Tesla’s endgame appears to be leveraging Article 39, which allows the European Union to grant exemptions for innovative technologies even before formal legislative frameworks are finalized. With support from the Dutch RDW, Tesla could potentially present its case to the European Commission, with a vote expected in May 2025.
A successful Article 39 exemption would potentially enable FSD Supervised to roll out across Europe, starting in the Netherlands. Focusing on supervised programs under regulatory control rather than regulatory lobbying—represents a pragmatic path to collect data, build trust, and establish proof of concept.
According to reports, Tesla’s strategy extends beyond Norway and the Netherlands, with two or three additional EU countries potentially testing FSD Supervised with regulatory approval and oversight.
On social media platform X, Elon responded to the Norwegian exemption with characteristic brevity, simply saying “Cool”—but for Tesla’s European ambitions, this approval is anything but a casual victory. As the company drives forward with its regulatory strategy, it appears FSD is navigating European roads before the rules of the road have even been fully written.
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