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Tesla accused of receiving preferential treatment from German politicians

Image Credit: Tesla Inc.

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Tesla is being accused of receiving preferential treatment from politicians in Germany who recognize the advancements the company has made in Europe’s transition to sustainable transportation.

Notable politicians, including Prime Minister of Brandenburg Dietmar Woidke and Economic Minister Jörg Steinbach, are catching heat from Brandenburg residents and green groups who believe the automaker is receiving special treatment.

It has been a tumultuous few weeks at Giga Berlin. Tesla has faced criminal charges from residents after piles driven into the ground without a permit caused an uprise. Tesla countered the initial issues regarding the piles by creating a new division to deal with permitting.

This was followed by claims that Tesla’s planned expansion of the plant may be met with roadblocks related to a shortage of water and electricity. Brandenburg Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke assured the automaker that the supply issues would be resolved and local government officials would find a fix.

Tesla Giga Berlin expansion faces roadblocks, but officials determined to find solutions

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But local residents and green groups cannot understand why. In a letter to Woidke today, NABU Brandenburg, Green League Brandenburg, and VNLB, three German environmental groups, questioned the treatment of Tesla, accusing the Prime Minister of giving the company treatment that “triggers horror and incomprehension among many people in Brandenburg and especially among members of the nature conservation associations.”

“Is your letter to Tesla a normal practice in Brandenburg? We want answers!” the groups write.

In the communication, the green groups state that Tesla “is one of the largest emitters of CO2 in Brandenburg.” The groups also cite that the clearing of forests, which made way for the factory, destroyed substantial populations of snakes and lizards that once occupied the area.

“How is this development compatible with the Brandenburg goals for climate, environmental, and species protection?”

Jörg Steinbach, Economic Minister of the area, recently went to Tesla’s Headquarters in Austin, Texas, to discuss the company’s needs for the expansion.

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“It was important to give Tesla the reassurance of the ongoing support of the Brandenburg government for the potential extension of Giga 4 at Grünheide,” he said, speaking of the expansion project.

Tesla Giga Berlin expansion: German minister meets with Tesla brass at Giga Texas

Steinbach has been a major proponent of Giga Berlin since its inception because of its surge in the local economy. Giga Berlin is already the largest industrial employer in the area, just one year after starting production, and due to this, the factory has already reached a run rate of 4,000 vehicles per week, and that’s well ahead of schedule.

Steinbach adamantly denies the narrative that Tesla is receiving anything preferential. It is a matter of seeing the project succeed, as it will benefit so many in the region.

“We are interested in the project succeeding,” he told Tagesspiegel. “Of course, that also applies to the expansion, just as it did back then for the settlement.”

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As for special treatment, Steinbach said for Tesla, it doesn’t exist.

“There is no special treatment for Tesla,” he said.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. 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 backtracks on strange Nav feature after numerous complaints

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is backtracking on a strange adjustment it made to its in-car Navigation feature after numerous complaints from owners convinced the company to make a change.

Tesla’s in-car Navigation is catered to its vehicles, as it routes Supercharging stops and preps your vehicle for charging with preconditioning. It is also very intuitive, and features other things like weather radar and a detailed map outlining points of interest.

However, a recent change to the Navigation by Tesla did not go unnoticed, and owners were really upset about it.

Tesla’s Navigation gets huge improvement with simple update

For trips that required multiple Supercharger stops, Tesla decided to implement a naming change, which did not show the city or state of each charging stop. Instead, it just showed the business where the Supercharger was located, giving many owners an unwelcome surprise.

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However, Tesla’s Director of Supercharging, Max de Zegher, admitted the update was a “big mistake on our end,” and made a change that rolled out within 24 hours:

The lack of a name for the city where a Supercharging stop would be made caused some confusion for owners in the short term. Some drivers argued that it was more difficult to make stops at some familiar locations that were special to them. Others were not too keen on not knowing where they were going to be along their trip.

Tesla was quick to scramble to resolve this issue, and it did a great job of rolling it out in an expedited manner, as de Zegher said that most in-car touch screens would notice the fix within one day of the change being rolled out.

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Additionally, there will be even more improvements in December, as Tesla plans to show the common name/amenity below the site name as well, which will give people a better idea of what to expect when they arrive at a Supercharger.

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Dutch regulator RDW confirms Tesla FSD February 2026 target

The regulator emphasized that safety, not public pressure, will decide whether FSD receives authorization for use in Europe.

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The Dutch vehicle authority RDW responded to Tesla’s recent updates about its efforts to bring Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in Europe, confirming that February 2026 remains the target month for Tesla to demonstrate regulatory compliance. 

While acknowledging the tentative schedule with Tesla, the regulator emphasized that safety, not public pressure, will decide whether FSD receives authorization for use in Europe.

RDW confirms 2026 target, warns Feb 2026 timeline is not guaranteed

In its response, which was posted on its official website, the RDW clarified that it does not disclose details about ongoing manufacturer applications due to competitive sensitivity. However, the agency confirmed that both parties have agreed on a February 2026 window during which Tesla is expected to show that FSD (Supervised) can meet required safety and compliance standards. Whether Tesla can satisfy those conditions within the timeline “remains to be seen,” RDW added.

RDW also directly addressed Tesla’s social media request encouraging drivers to contact the regulator to express support. While thanking those who already reached out, RDW asked the public to stop contacting them, noting these messages burden customer-service resources and have no influence on the approval process. 

“In the message on X, Tesla calls on Tesla drivers to thank the RDW and to express their enthusiasm about this planning to us by contacting us. We thank everyone who has already done so, and would like to ask everyone not to contact us about this. It takes up unnecessary time for our customer service. Moreover, this will have no influence on whether or not the planning is met,” the RDW wrote. 

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The RDW shares insights on EU approval requirements

The RDW further outlined how new technology enters the European market when no existing legislation directly covers it. Under EU Regulation 2018/858, a manufacturer may seek an exemption for unregulated features such as advanced driver assistance systems. The process requires a Member State, in this case the Netherlands, to submit a formal request to the European Commission on the manufacturer’s behalf.

Approval then moves to a committee vote. A majority in favor would grant EU-wide authorization, allowing the technology across all Member States. If the vote fails, the exemption is valid only within the Netherlands, and individual countries must decide whether to accept it independently.

Before any exemption request can be filed, Tesla must complete a comprehensive type-approval process with the RDW, including controlled on-road testing. Provided that FSD Supervised passes these regulatory evaluations, the exemption could be submitted for broader EU consideration.

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Tesla says Europe could finally get FSD in 2026, and Dutch regulator RDW is key

As per Tesla, a Dutch regulatory exemption targeted for February 2026 could very well be the key gateway for a Europe-wide rollout of FSD.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla has shared its most detailed timeline yet for bringing Full Self-Driving (Supervised) to Europe. The electric vehicle maker posted its update through the official X account of Tesla Europe & Middle East. 

As per Tesla, a Dutch regulatory exemption targeted for February 2026 could very well be the key gateway for a Europe-wide rollout of FSD.

Tesla pushes for EU approval

Tesla stated that it has spent more than 12 months working directly with European authorities and delivering FSD demonstrations to regulators in several EU member state. Tesla highlighted a number of its efforts for FSD’s release in Europe, such as safety documentation for FSD, which is now included in its latest public Safety Report, and over 1 million kilometers of internal testing conducted on EU roads across 17 countries.

To unlock approval, Tesla is relying on the Netherlands’ approval authority RDW. The process requires proving compliance with UN-R-171 for driver-assist systems while also filing Article 39 exemptions for behaviors that remain unregulated in Europe, such as hands-off system-initiated lane changes and Level 2 operation on roads that are not fully covered by current rules. Tesla argued that these functions cannot be retrofitted or adjusted into existing frameworks without compromising safety and performance.

“Some of these regulations are outdated and rules-based, which makes FSD illegal in its current form. Changing FSD to be compliant with these rules would make it unsafe and unusable in many cases. While we have changed FSD to be maximally compliant where it is logical and reasonable, we won’t sacrifice the safety of a proven system or materially deteriorate customer usability,” Tesla wrote in its post. 

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Tesla targets February 2026 approval

According to Tesla, real-world safety data alone has not been considered sufficient by EU regulators, prompting the company to gather evidence to get exemptions on a specific rule-by-rule basis. RDW has reportedly committed to issuing a Netherlands National approval in February 2026, which could pave the way for other EU countries to recognize the exemption and possibly authorize local deployment of FSD. 

“Currently, RDW has committed to granting Netherlands National approval in February 2026. Please contact them via link below to express your excitement & thank them for making this happen as soon as possible. Upon NL National approval, other EU countries can immediately recognize the exemption and also allow rollout within their country. Then we will bring it to a TCMV vote for official EU-wide approval. We’re excited to bring FSD to our owners in Europe soon!” Tesla wrote in its post. 

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