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Tesla fans believe Ford is the ‘major OEM’ discussing Full Self-Driving licensing

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Tesla fans overwhelmingly believe Ford is the “major OEM” that the automaker is in discussions with to license the Full Self-Driving suite.

Last week during Tesla’s Q2 2023 Earnings Call, CEO Elon Musk said the automaker was in “early discussions with a major OEM” regarding the licensing of Full Self-Driving:

“And we are already in discussions with — early discussions with major OEM about using Tesla FSD. So, we’re not trying to keep this to ourselves. We’re more than happy to license it to others.”

The move was not necessarily surprising, as Musk had said a month earlier that Tesla was “happy to license” either Autopilot or Full Self-Driving, as well as other Tesla technology.

For example, we have seen various car companies adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector, and Ford was the first to do so. General Motors followed.

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After Tesla’s announcement regarding its early discussions with a major automaker, speculation persisted on which company was most likely to be in talks to license Full Self-Driving.

Tesla fans seem to believe it is Ford.

Right after Musk made the comments, we posted a question on our Twitter page that asked followers who they thought it was. An overwhelming number of respondents said Ford.

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There were plenty of other companies mentioned by those who chose to respond, like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, and Rivian.

Volkswagen and Tesla had a good and very public relationship when the German automaker had Herbert Diess at the helm. However, that relationship has cooled, but it does not mean the companies are not still on good terms and perhaps in discussions.

Mercedes-Benz has a Level 3 system that has been approved for operation in Nevada, California, and parts of Germany. We would be prone to believe Mercedes-Benz would continue with the development of its own suite.

General Motors has Super Cruise, which is also a successful program in terms of where self-driving efforts are in this day and age. CNBC’s test of the suite revealed a Cadillac could be driven for an hour, in some instances, without ever needing to take control of the vehicle.

Rivian, at least in our and many other perspectives, doesn’t match the description of a “major OEM.”

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Who do you think Tesla is in early discussions with regarding FSD licensing? Please email me with questions and comments at joey@teslarati.com. I’d love to chat! You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla’s top-rated Supercharger Network becomes Stellantis’ new key EV asset

The rollout begins in North America early next year before expanding to Japan and South Korea in 2027.

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Credit: Tesla

Stellantis will adopt Tesla’s North American Charging System (NACS) across select battery-electric vehicles starting in 2026, giving customers access to more than 28,000 Tesla Superchargers across five countries. 

The rollout begins in North America early next year before expanding to Japan and South Korea in 2027, significantly boosting public fast-charging access for Jeep, Dodge, and other Stellantis brands. The move marks one of Stellantis’ largest infrastructure expansions to date.

Stellantis unlocks NACS access

Beginning in early 2026, Stellantis BEVs, including models like the Jeep Wagoneer S and Dodge Charger Daytona, will gain access to Tesla’s Supercharger network across North America. The integration will extend to Japan and South Korea in 2027, with the 2026 Jeep Recon and additional next-generation BEVs joining the list as compatibility expands. Stellantis stated that details on adapters and network onboarding for current models will be released closer to launch, as noted in a press release.

The company emphasizes that adopting NACS aligns with a broader strategy to give customers greater freedom of choice when charging, especially as infrastructure availability becomes a deciding factor for EV buyers. With access to thousands of high-speed stations, Stellantis aims to reduce range anxiety and improve long-distance travel convenience across its global portfolio.

Tesla Supercharger network proves its value

Stellantis’ move also comes as Tesla’s Supercharger system continues to earn top rankings for reliability and user experience. In the 2025 Zapmap survey, drawn from nearly 4,000 BEV drivers across the UK, Tesla Superchargers were named the Best Large EV Charging Network for the second year in a row. The study measured reliability, ease of use, and payment experience across the country’s public charging landscape.

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Tesla’s UK network now includes 1,115 open Supercharger devices at 97 public locations, representing roughly 54% of its total footprint and marking a 40% increase in public availability since late 2024. Zapmap highlighted the Supercharger network’s consistently lower pricing compared to other rapid and ultra-rapid providers, alongside its strong uptime and streamlined user experience. These performance metrics further reinforce the value of Stellantis’ decision to integrate NACS across major markets.

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Tesla FSD and Robotaxis are making people aware how bad human drivers are

These observations really show that Tesla’s focus on autonomy would result in safer roads for everyone.

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Tesla FSD and the Robotaxi network are becoming so good in their self-driving performance, they are starting to highlight just how bad humans really are at driving. 

This could be seen in several observations from the electric vehicle community.

Robotaxis are better than Uber, actually

Tesla’s Robotaxi service is only available in Austin and the Bay Area for now, but those who have used the service have generally been appreciative of its capabilities and performance. Some Robotaxi customers have observed that the service is simply so much more affordable than Uber, and its driving is actually really good.

One veteran Tesla owner, @BLKMDL3, recently noted that the Robotaxi service has become better than Uber simply because FSD now drives better than some human drivers.  Apart from the fact that Robotaxis allow riders to easily sync their phones to the rear display, the vehicles generally provide a significantly more comfortable ride than their manually-driven counterparts from Uber.

FSD is changing the narrative, one ride at a time

It appears that FSD V14 really is something special. The update has received wide acclaim from users since it was released, and the positive reactions are still coming. This was highlighted in a recent post from Tesla owner Travis Nicolette, who shared a recent experience with FSD. As per the Tesla owner, he was quite surprised as his car was able to accomplish a U-turn in a way that exceeded human drivers.

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Yet another example of FSD’s smooth and safe driving was showcased in a recent video, which showed a safety monitor of a Bay Area Robotaxi falling asleep in the driver’s seat. In any other car, a driver falling asleep at the wheel could easily result in a grave accident, but thanks to FSD, both the safety monitor and the passengers remained safe.

These observations, if any, really show that Tesla’s focus on autonomy would result in safer roads for everyone. As per the IIHS, there were 40,901 deaths from motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2023. The NHTSA also estimated that in 2017, 91,000 police-reported crashes involved drowsy drivers. These crashes led to an estimated 50,000 people injured and 800 deaths. FSD could lower all these tragic statistics by a notable margin.

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Tesla lands approval for Robotaxi operation in third U.S. state

On Tuesday, Tesla officially received regulatory approval from the State of Arizona, making it the third state for the company to receive approval in.

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Tesla has officially landed approval to operate its Robotaxi ride-hailing service in its third U.S. state, as it has landed a regulatory green light from the State of Arizona’s Department of Transportation.

Tesla has been working to expand to new U.S. states after launching in Texas and California earlier this year. Recently, it said it was hoping to land in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida, expanding to five new cities in those three states.

On Tuesday, Tesla officially received regulatory approval from the State of Arizona, making it the third state for the company to receive approval in:

Tesla has also been working on approvals in Nevada and Florida, and it has also had Robotaxi test mules spotted in Pennsylvania.

The interesting thing about the Arizona approval is the fact that Tesla has not received an approval for any specific city; it appears that it can operate statewide. However, early on, Tesla will likely confine its operation to just one or two cities to keep things safe and controlled.

Over the past few months, Robotaxi mules have been spotted in portions of Phoenix and surrounding cities, such as Scottsdale, as the company has been attempting to cross off all the regulatory Ts that it is confronted with as it attempts to expand the ride-hailing service.

It appears the company will be operating it similarly to how it does in Texas, which differs from its California program. In Austin, there is no Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat, unless the route requires freeway travel. In California, there is always a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat. However, this is unconfirmed.

Earlier today, Tesla enabled its Robotaxi app to be utilized for ride-hailing for anyone using the iOS platform.

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