Tesla pressed Dutch regulator to hide FSD safety data, Reuters finds

The Dutch road authority that approved Tesla's ↗ 0.32% Full Self-Driving system four months ago is refusing to disclose how it determined the technology is safe, citing an obligation to protect the automaker's commercial secrets — a stance that safety experts say prioritizes corporate interests over public transparency.

A Reuters investigation published Thursday revealed that Tesla has pressed the Netherlands' RDW regulator since late 2024 to keep documentation about its FSD safety review confidential, according to previously unreported email correspondence obtained through a public-records request. The regulator has declined to release details of its testing methodology, performance data, or the criteria used to evaluate the system, even as it advocates for FSD adoption across the European Union.reuters+2

Tesla's Demands for Secrecy

The correspondence shows Tesla made confidentiality a priority throughout the approval process. In one April 2025 exchange, a Tesla representative sought to confirm RDW would "never" release a particular document and asked how it would ensure the material was "withheld from public disclosure," adding that the company could not provide more information "until this matter is clarified".news.yahoo+1

RDW told Reuters it has not withheld information at Tesla's request but rather makes its own decisions on how to protect company trade secrets. The agency announced in April that FSD is "safer than other driver assistance systems," then softened that claim in June to "at least as safe as other driver assistance systems" — offering no supporting data or evidence for either statement.reuters+1

Experts Challenge Trade-Secret Claims

European vehicle-safety law experts say the regulator is withholding far too much information under the guise of trade secrets. Oliver Carsten, a transportation-safety professor at the University of Leeds who has helped craft European automated-driving regulations, told Reuters: "I don't see any reason why that couldn't be public".news.yahoo+1

Frank Mutze, policy and project manager for the European Transport Safety Council, said the public is left to trust that authorities "have done their homework, which of course isn't good enough for us".reuters+1

Regulators in six European countries including Germany, Norway, and Denmark told Reuters they could not release data on FSD testing or performance due to trade-secret concerns. Norway's Public Roads Administration noted that the data it reviewed from the Dutch assessment "is not the same as what Tesla publishes on its website" — a reference to Reuters' earlier finding that Tesla's self-published FSD safety statistics are exaggerated.news.yahoo+1

EU Vote Could Come in October

RDW is now seeking EU-wide approval for FSD through a special exemption from motor-vehicle regulations that currently restrict hands-free automated driving to highways. A vote by EU member states could take place as early as October, requiring support from a qualified majority. France has already signaled opposition, with the country's transportation minister saying last month that it would not approve FSD in its current form due to concerns about speeding and insufficient driver-monitoring technology.ednews+2