VIDEO – An autonomous Tesla survives at Place de l’Étoile

Place Charles-de-Gaulle, better known as Place of the Star, is every human driver’s nightmare!

As part of its testing in Europe, Tesla posted two videos on X of a Full Self-Driving (FSD) drive in Paris. A few seconds that are actually minutes because the playback speed is heavily accelerated, probably to enhance the sensational effect, unless it’s to minimize the impact of the numerous slowdowns caused by the famous Parisian traffic jams.

Because among pedestrians, two-wheelers, and not always clear priorities, Tesla manages, it must be admitted, remarkably well. The acceleration of the video makes it difficult to accurately assess the smoothness of maneuvers, especially during braking and at pedestrian crossings. One can still guess from the passive driver’s hand movements that some braking events were probably not gentle! But anyone who has driven in Paris, Rome, or London knows that danger is at every intersection.

The release of these videos coincides with the opening of a period favorable to limited authorization of the FSD feature in Europe. The approval of “System-Initiated Maneuvers” (SIM) on motorways in EU countries will come into effect on September 26, 2025. Vehicles equipped with the appropriate technology will then be able to perform autonomous actions on the highway, such as lane changes, while keeping the driver responsible for supervision. This progress marks a significant step forward from current standards, which require the driver to manually initiate each automated maneuver. However, the road to full autonomy is still long, and taking a little nap while the car takes you from Invalides to Opéra via the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe is not imminent.

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