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From early next year, you might just come across a self-driving Tesla in the centre of a village, town or residential area. The car manufacturer is working with the RDW to obtain a licence.

The licence is expected to become active in February 2026, which will make the Netherlands the first European country where Full Self-Driving (under supervision) is permitted.

The case with the national road traffic service is intended to serve as a springboard for Tesla into other EU member states. Put simply, if the Netherlands gives the green light, other countries are allowed to follow suit.

In a post on Twitter, the American tech company says that it has been actively working for a year to obtain a licence to put level 2 self-driving cars on the road.

This means that a car can be driven semi-automatically. At this level, the vehicle can perform several tasks simultaneously, such as steering and braking or accelerating, and keeping itself in its lane.

In recent quarters, Tesla has run tests with its own employees on European roads—adding up to a million kilometres driven safely—and is sharing that data with the RDWs in European member states. With this, the company aims to push for an update of laws and regulations based on data.

In the US, the car manufacturer uses its FSD software to operate self-driving cars as taxis. It has already received permits for this in several major cities.

The FSD option costs a private car buyer €7,500 on top of the purchase price of the vehicle.

A demonstration of a self-driving Tesla in normal traffic:

© The Content Exchange, source News