Tesla Navigates Highway On-Ramp Autonomously

Netherlands becomes first EU country to approve Tesla's supervised Full Self-Driving

"I'm not doing anything—this is amazing!" says Jürgen van Kreij. To prove it, he raises his hands in the air as the steering wheel of his car turns on its own. The middle-aged man from Hengelo—a small town in the eastern Netherlands near the German border—is on his way to work in his Tesla, equipped with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature. Just days earlier, the Dutch road authority RDW granted it approval—provided a driver remains behind the wheel, ready to intervene at any moment. The official designation: FSD supervised—meaning supervised.

This marks a first in Europe. Van Kreij, dressed in a hoodie, is now among the pioneers allowed to use what the RDW calls this "driving support system." On board are journalists from the regional newspaper Twentsche Courant Tubantia, who accompanied and filmed him on one of his first trips. The driver explains that ten cameras keep the road "under constant surveillance." His verdict: "It's safer than a human driving."

Another camera, mounted above the rearview mirror, points at the person behind the wheel. "I still have to pay attention to the road and keep my hands near the wheel," van Kreij emphasizes, "otherwise, it starts beeping and making noise.""It" is his Tesla.

Several scenes demonstrate the system's capabilities, available for a one-time fee of €7,500 or a monthly subscription of €99. At one point, the Tesla makes a "surprising" right turn—something its driver wouldn't normally do. "It's probably avoiding a traffic light." Elsewhere, it brakes for a cyclist darting across the road before a roundabout, "even though it technically could have kept going."

Tesla Takes Highway Exits Autonomously

According to Dutch tech platform Tweakers.net, the self-driving function can also execute lane changes and take highway exits independently—a "significant leap" over conventional passenger vehicles, which offer only basic highway assistance, such as lane-keeping or adaptive cruise control. In those cases, drivers are still required to keep their hands on the wheel. Ford's BlueCruise system is an exception but cannot handle exits or lane changes.

Against this backdrop, Tesla's newly approved feature raises fresh questions about who is actually assisting whom. The answer is no longer clear-cut—even though the driver remains legally responsible at all times. The development of systems like BlueCruise and FSD also underscores why the automotive industry is so sensitive to disruptions in chip supply, as seen in the dispute over Dutch-Chinese semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, where shortages could threaten production.

After testing Tesla's system during a demo day, Tweakers editor Hayte Hugo offers a mixed review. While navigating the narrow streets of the fortified town of Muiden, he "had the feeling" the car assessed traffic better than he could. Yet in other situations, he had to intervene—such as when the vehicle failed to respond to a green light or mistakenly braked for a red light meant for another lane. His conclusion: "Mostly self-driving."

In its statement, the RDW notes that the system underwent "more than a year and a half of thorough testing on our tracks and public roads." When used correctly, it contributes positively to road safety. The authority stresses that FSD is not the same as fully autonomous driving. Europe also enforces stricter safety and environmental standards than the U.S.

Following the Netherlands' approval, transport authorities in other EU countries could follow suit. The RDW plans to submit a corresponding request to the European Commission, though full EU-wide authorization would require approval from all member states.