Tesla is facing problems in Europe: what the authorities are checking

Tesla is facing control by the German authorities over the Autopilot’s advanced driver assistance system.

Tesla is facing a revision in Germany regarding an Autopilot function, as regulatory scrutiny intensifies on the driver assistance technology of the car manufacturer.

KBA, the German Federal Bureau of Automobiles, is investigating Tesla’s automatic lane change feature and whether it is approved for use in Europe, Bild am Sonntag reported, citing a spokesman for the agency.

KBA is also in contact with the Dutch vehicle agency, which is responsible for approving Tesla cars in Europe, according to Bild.

Increased regulatory control poses a risk to Tesla’s commercialization of automatic vehicle technology.

Last week, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a second probe into a possible autopilot failure.

Important issues

The electric car maker has drawn criticism over issues, including how it has marked systems and whether it is doing enough to protect itself from carelessness and misuse.

Germany’s latest development adds to the regulatory hurdles Tesla faces in the country.

Progress at its first European plant, near Berlin, has been slower than expected, amid reactions from environmental groups concerned with the use of water and wildlife.

At the same time, Tesla is recalling nearly 579,000 vehicles in the United States, as a “Boombox” function can play sounds through an external speaker and block the pedestrian warning system.

The withdrawal is the fourth to be made public in two weeks as US safety regulators step up control of the country’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer.

In two of the withdrawals, Tesla has made decisions that violate federal motor vehicle safety standards, while the others are software errors.