The recent passage of Tesla in Madrid has not gone unnoticed. Over the past week, the American company has celebrated Testing of its fully autonomous driving system, with human supervision, in the center of the Spanish capital. These demonstrations have generated considerable controversy., since the vehicles were circulating on public roads without the necessary permits issued by local and national authorities.
The expectation among the people of Madrid was considerable: a Tesla Model 3 “drives alone” through iconic locations such as the Puerta de Alcalá and the Cibeles Fountain, with the driver barely intervening. However, beyond the technological spectacle, The lack of authorization set off all the alarms The City Council and the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) emphasized the importance of complying with current legislation before conducting this type of testing on public roads.
Model 3 Self-Driving Tour and Technology
The circuit that the vehicle has followed has been especially demanding, passing through congested areas and well-known streets in the center of Madrid. It has been documented how the production Model 3, equipped with hardware equal to that of commercial models, has navigated traffic lights, roundabouts, pedestrians and even blocked streets without direct human intervention, demonstrating the system's responsiveness.
The key to this progress lies in the software Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised, which uses a purely visual architecture and neural networks trained with millions of kilometers traveled in real situations, which allows the vehicle to identify and react in real time to any unforeseen eventAccording to the brand, the algorithm learns from data accumulated by more than seven million Tesla vehicles worldwide, allowing it to quickly adapt to new urban environments.
A distinctive feature of Tesla's system is that does not use Lidar sensors or radars, unlike other manufacturers, but bases its entire perception on image processing and artificial intelligence. This decision allows to simplify the hardware and reduce costs., although some experts have pointed out potential weaknesses in adverse weather conditions.
Regulatory conflict and position of institutions
Controversy quickly arose when The Mobility delegate of the Madrid City Council, Borja Carabante, confirmed that Tesla did not have the necessary permit., which must be issued by the DGT (Directorate of Traffic) with the approval of the city council itself. Carabante emphasized that any testing of autonomous driving technology in Madrid requires prior reports and authorizations, pointing out that tests can only be legally conducted in controlled environments, such as those provided for in the "sandbox" municipal ordinance.
La The General Directorate of Traffic contacted Tesla directly to request explanations. and remember that it exists a European regulation that strictly limits when it is possible to authorize these vehicles in regular circulation. Currently, the Supervised FSD system only has the green light in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China, and needs to adapt to European and national regulatory frameworks before being marketed in Spain.
Details about the Supervised FSD system
The Supervised FSD version tested in Madrid is designed to allow complex urban and highway maneuvers, including turning at intersections, highway entrances and exits, automatic responses to traffic lights and signs, as well as parking maneuvers and the “Summon” function, which allows the car to approach the user autonomously.
Although Tesla classifies this technology as “Fully Autonomous Driving”, European regulatory bodies place it at a level 2 or 2+ according to the SAE standard, as it is still necessary for a human operator to supervise the journey and be ready to intervene when necessary.
The company stresses that its system has traveled more than 5.970 billion kilometers in FSD mode and that, according to its own data, the risk of accidents is up to ten times lower for users who employ its Autopilot technology compared to the average conventional driver.
Tesla's strategy and next steps
Elon Musk's firm is accelerating trials of the Supervised FSD system in various European capitals, such as Paris, Berlin and Rome, as well as Madrid, in a clear attempt to collect data and refine the technology before its commercial launch in Europe. Locally, Tesla continues negotiating with the DGT and the City Council to obtain the relevant permits and adapt their tests to Spanish regulations, although the path seems to bring complications due to the gap between technological advances and the legislative pace.
Institutional leaders insist on ensure the safety of citizens y They require the adoption of specific protocols, technical approvals, adequate insurance and prior validation of tests. before allowing autonomous vehicles to operate outside of controlled environments.
Social impact and international comparison
The arrival of technology autonomous driving to Madrid reopens the debate on adapting cities to the mobility of the future and the need to update regulations to accommodate innovations of this magnitude. This is not the first time that similar experiments have been carried out in Europe: manufacturers such as Renault have already tested autonomous vehicles in Paris and Barcelona, although always after obtaining the relevant authorizations, which underscores the contrast with the strategy followed by Tesla in the Spanish capital.
This media exposure can help accelerate dialogue between technology companies, administrations and society to define a safe and transparent regulatory framework for autonomous urban mobility, without losing sight of the challenges of cybersecurity, privacy, and coexistence with other modes of transport.
Meanwhile, the Tesla case in Madrid symbolizes the complexity of balancing innovation and legal controlTests have shown that the technology is almost ready for widespread use, but legal and social integration still requires significant adjustments and consensus with local and national authorities.
