Tesla IncTesla warns UK driverless car rules requiring fully autonomous vehicles to drop 'self-driving' branding will cost it billions and deter UK investment.

Tesla has attacked Britain over driverless car laws it says will "stifle innovation" and leave the UK falling behind the rest of the world. In a submission to the Department for Transport, the US carmaker warned that rules requiring vehicles marketed as self-driving to be fully autonomous "risk eroding brand confidence and deterring investment in the UK," and said the legislation would cost it "billions of dollars." The DfT did not name Tesla as the author of the complaint but said it came from a company that would have to change its branding, identifying Tesla as the only such company; a government impact assessment said Tesla would have to drop references to "self-driving" if it introduced its full self-driving system in the UK. Tesla's FSD, which can accelerate, steer, navigate junctions and park but requires driver supervision with hands on the wheel, has not been approved in the UK, where the company still offers a £99 monthly subscription to a basic version of the capability. The laws requiring the term "self-driving" to be dropped come into force in January, as Britain prepares to allow autonomous taxis in the coming months.
Tesla IncTesla warns UK driverless car rules requiring fully autonomous vehicles to drop 'self-driving' branding will cost it billions and deter UK investment.