The EV giant has secured a new two-year exemption from Norway’s road authority to test its FSD (Supervised) software on public roads, even as sales in most of Europe continue to slide.
Tesla shares fell on Wednesday, snapping their best run in about three months after climbing for five straight sessions and falling just short of a mid-May streak, during which the stock gained for six consecutive days.
Despite the pullback, retail traders remained upbeat, buoyed by regulatory wins, new product announcements, and expansion plans.
The stock fell 0.43% to $339.38 on Wednesday, then slipped a further 0.1% in after-hours trading.
Tesla secured a new two-year exemption from Norway’s road authority to test its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software on public roads, even as sales in most of Europe continue to slide.
The decision allows Tesla to operate modified Model Y vehicles under software version 13.2.5.1, despite the system not meeting certain UN Regulation 79 steering requirements, provided only trained Tesla employees serve as safety drivers, according to a regulatory filing.
Testing will be conducted to adapt the system to Norwegian traffic laws and infrastructure, and the vehicles must be restored to their original configuration at the end of the trial.
The regulatory approval comes as Norway remains one of Tesla’s rare bright spots in Europe.
July registrations in the country jumped 83% year-on-year to 838 cars, bucking a regional downturn that saw double-digit percentage declines in key markets such as Sweden, Denmark, France and the Netherlands.
Norway’s nearly all-electric new car market, coupled with 0% interest loan promotions, has helped maintain Tesla’s leadership since 2021.
In parallel, Tesla is expanding its robotaxi ambitions to the U.S.’s largest city. According to a recent job posting cited by the Wall Street Journal, the company is hiring “prototype vehicle operators” in New York City to collect driving data for its Autopilot team.
The roles, paying up to $30.60 an hour, require licensed drivers and involve gathering audio and video for training its supervised Full Self-Driving system and Full Self-Driving (Supervised)
While Tesla has yet to apply for a permit to test driverless cars in New York, CEO Elon Musk told investors last month that he expects autonomous ride-hailing to reach about half the U.S. population by year-end.
Meanwhile, in a potential new product push for Europe, Tesla’s long-wheelbase Model Y L has been spotted near Germany’s Nürburgring, according to a Teslarati report.
The six-seat variant, about seven inches longer than the standard Model Y, is set for a September launch in China and is expected to offer significantly more third-row space.
The Model Y L could be potentially built at Giga Berlin after its Chinese debut, providing a lower-cost alternative to the now-unavailable Model X in Europe.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Tesla was ‘bullish’ amid ‘low’ message volume late Wednesday, easing from ‘extremely bullish’ a day ago.
Tesla’s stock has declined 16% so far in 2025.
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