DUBLIN, May 10, 2026, 19:59 IST
- Tesla has begun discussions with Irish regulators over getting its Full Self-Driving software approved, according to RTÉ.
- The stock bounced back to $428.35, helped in part by gains in China sales and some renewed AI optimism.
- European regulators are still split on issues of safety, driver supervision, and how Tesla brands its system.
Tesla is negotiating with Irish regulators to secure sign-off for its Full Self-Driving software, RTÉ reported Sunday. The move marks a fresh step in Elon Musk’s ambition to shift Tesla Inc. further into software and automation, expanding those efforts in Europe.
Tesla shares have bounced back, though questions persist among investors about how much of the company’s worth really depends on products that aren’t yet generating consistent, sizable revenue. The stock most recently changed hands at $428.35, up 4.02%, putting Tesla’s market cap around $1.5 trillion.
Tesla calls its paid driver-assist package Full Self-Driving, or FSD, though it doesn’t actually deliver full autonomy. According to Reuters, this supervised system handles steering, turning, and acceleration, but drivers are still expected to watch the road and take control when needed.
Following the Dutch road authority RDW’s provisional green light for FSD in the Netherlands on April 10, Irish officials are now in discussion. RDW has already urged European Union regulators to weigh broader adoption, but any bloc-wide go-ahead remains out of reach for now—there’s no EU vote on the table yet, and the rules call for backing from a qualified majority of member states before anything moves forward.
The risk is clear enough. Last week, Reuters said regulators from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway flagged issues with FSD—citing worries over speeding, how the system handles icy roads, and whether calling it “Full Self-Driving” could mislead motorists. Tesla didn’t reply to Reuters’ questions for that story. Reuters
The U.S. saw a more straightforward safety update. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that Tesla’s 2026 Model Y became the first to clear its updated advanced driver-assistance system tests. Still, the agency continues separate probes into Tesla—one looking at FSD’s performance in low-visibility conditions.
The car sector is shifting too. Tesla sold 79,478 China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in April, with numbers up 36% year-over-year, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association. That total—counting exports—fell 7.2% compared to March.
Intense competition continues in China. BYD came out on top in April, moving 314,100 new energy vehicles at wholesale, per CPCA numbers cited by CnEVPost. Geely Auto and Chery trailed, with Tesla China slipping to fourth place in the rankings for battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell models.
Tesla isn’t backing off on spending, despite the haze ahead. “We are going to be substantially increasing our investment in the future,” CEO Elon Musk told analysts following first-quarter results. Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja described this as a “very big capital-investment phase,” and signaled negative free cash flow through the rest of 2026. Reuters
To some investors, European approval isn’t just a formality. Michael Ashley Schulman, partner at Cerity Partners—which manages Tesla investments—told Reuters European sign-off for FSD could pad profits and give Tesla an edge against Chinese competitors.
Tesla nudged the narrative forward this week, pushing through a new trademark filing tied to the long-awaited Roadster. According to Car and Driver, the company put in a badge application for its second-gen Roadster—unveiled back in 2017, with production initially slated for 2020 but still MIA.
Up ahead, there’s a quieter set of hurdles: approvals, margins, China shipments, and the pace of software revenue—can it catch up to those heavy capital costs? Tesla’s plate is full. Regulators, on the other hand, might not move quickly.
