FOI: Tesla Offered TfL a Tesla FSD (Supervised) Demo Ride in London. TfL Asked to Talk First

BREAKING: Tesla offered Transport for London a Tesla FSD (Supervised) demo ride in London, and TfL asked for a discussion first. That's what a Freedom of Information release published by TfL on 9 November 2026 shows.

The release, FOI-2749-2627, attaches a seven-page redacted email chain with the subject line "Tesla FSD (Supervised) demo". It runs from 1 September to 15 September 2026. In it, Tesla's Head of UK & I Public Policy and Business Development invites TfL to a demonstration "this autumn" and offers to collect the guest from a location of their choosing. TfL's automated vehicle policy lead replies that they would rather start with a discussion. A 30 minute Teams call is then booked for 22 September.

The emails stop seven days before that call. TfL also says it holds no internal note, meeting record or briefing about Tesla testing on London roads. So there's no confirmation the meeting went ahead, and nothing in the release shows anyone from TfL has taken the ride.

This matters because TfL manages major London roads, including Whitehall, where Tesla Europe published footage of Tesla FSD (Supervised) on 25 July 2025. Tesla FSD (Supervised) is still not approved for UK drivers.

Timeline: what the TfL FOI emails show

Timeline from TfL FOI-2749-2627. Times as shown on the emails. Names and email addresses are redacted in the release, so people are described by job title only.

What did Tesla offer TfL?

The first email went out at 16:44 on 1 September 2026, from a tesla.com address to a TfL address, with a public-affairs firm copied in. The sender introduced themselves as Tesla UK's Head of Public Policy and Business Development and invited TfL to "attend a Tesla Full Self Driving (Supervised) demonstration this autumn". Part of the next sentence is redacted. What is left reads "and given your interest in this area, I would be delighted to have the opportunity to meet you and to show you our technology first hand."

Tesla described the demo as "an opportunity to see how our system performs in urban driving conditions" and to discuss the role that advanced vehicle technology can play "in supporting growth and safety in the UK". Then came the practical offer: "We would be very happy to arrange the demonstration in London, and we can collect you directly at your chosen location."

The invite also makes the case for the software with Tesla's own European figures. It says Tesla FSD (Supervised) is "currently approved in five European countries" and used by more than 70,000 customers for over 1 million km per day. It says EU data from the last five months shows the system "over 4.1x safer than manual driving, across over 100 million kilometers", and that European countries recorded 19,400 road deaths in 2025. These are Tesla's claims in the invite. The FOI does not verify them, and TfL does not comment on them anywhere in the release.

The email is signed with the title Head of UK & I Public Policy and Business Development. All names are redacted under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which covers personal data.

How did TfL reply to the Tesla FSD demo offer?

The first TfL reply came at 08:38 on 2 September from a Strategy and Policy Manager in TfL's New Mobility team. It was short: "Just passing your enquiry on to my colleague [redacted] who leads on AV policy at TfL." Tesla thanked them seven minutes later.

The AV policy lead, whose signature reads Senior Strategy & Policy Manager, London-wide & Regional Strategy, wrote back at 11:57 on 3 September. They said part of their role relates to automated vehicles, that TfL is "following developments in this area", and that it would be useful to learn more about Tesla's systems and its experience in other European markets.

Then the key line: "Perhaps we could start with a discussion to better understand the technology, its capabilities, and your thinking in relation to London." They asked for some dates and said a better understanding would help them make sure "the right colleagues are involved in the conversation".

The reply does not mention the ride, the pickup offer or the safety figures. It does not say yes or no to the demonstration. It looks like TfL wanted to understand the system and Tesla's plans for London before anyone got in the car.

How the 22 September Teams call was booked

From here, a consultant at the public-affairs firm took over the diary. At 13:21 on 3 September they wrote "on behalf of" a person whose name is redacted, to thank TfL "for your kind offer to meet with her", and asked for TfL's availability over the next month. The release does not say who she is, and this article does not guess.

On 8 September, at 14:38, TfL offered four windows: Friday 11 September, Tuesday 15 September, Friday 18 September and Tuesday 22 September. They asked for "a 30min invite". Twenty one minutes later the consultant replied that the redacted person "is able to do the Tuesday 22nd September, 9am to 10am slot", and asked whether TfL would prefer to meet in person or online.

TfL chose online. At 15:04 TfL wrote: "That works for me. If you could send a Teams / online calendar invite for 9.30-10 on 22 Sept that would be brilliant." The consultant said a Teams invite would follow shortly.

So Tesla offered an in-person ride in London with pickup. What went into the diary was a half-hour video call. The emails do not say whether the call was meant to lead to a ride later.

Did the meeting or the demo ride happen?

The release can't tell us. On 14 September, at 18:02, the consultant asked TfL for an on-the-day contact for "the meeting next week in case there are any changes in the schedule", and named a colleague at the firm as their own contact. At 08:46 on 15 September TfL replied: "Thank you for sharing your colleague's details. I can be contacted by email if need be."

That is the last email in the chain. It is dated seven days before the booked call. There is no calendar invite, no agenda, no follow-up and no thank-you after 22 September in the release.

TfL's answer covers the rest. Asked for "any internal note, meeting record, or briefing about Tesla testing on London roads", TfL said: "We do not hold this information."

There's no confirmation the 22 September Teams meeting went ahead, and nothing shows anyone from TfL took the offered Tesla FSD (Supervised) ride. Both could have happened without leaving a record that falls inside this request. Neither is confirmed.

How this TfL FOI came about

This release is a follow-up. NAFSDT first asked TfL on 29 September 2026 for any contact from Tesla about Tesla FSD (Supervised) testing, filming or trials on roads TfL manages, plus road-space applications, vehicle details and internal notes, going back to January 2024. That request was FOI-2455-2627.

TfL refused it on 15 October 2026 under section 12, the cost limit. It said the team leading on autonomous vehicles had found "several thousand emails" that could be caught by the request, and that reviewing them would take more than 18 working hours, above the £450 limit. TfL also wrote that "it is also our belief that very few emails will have been between TfL and Tesla".

The same day, NAFSDT sent a narrower request: contact from Tesla or anyone acting for Tesla, the correspondence itself, and any internal note, meeting record or briefing. TfL logged it as FOI-2749-2627, set a deadline of 11 November and answered on 9 November. It confirmed it holds "some of the information" and attached the email chain.

It looks like this one chain is the Tesla contact TfL found once the search was narrowed. That fits TfL's own October view that very few emails would be between TfL and Tesla.

What this means for Tesla FSD (Supervised) in London

Nothing changes for owners today. Tesla FSD (Supervised) is still not approved for UK drivers, and approval runs through the Vehicle Certification Agency and the international vehicle rules, not TfL. Our Tesla FSD UK approval timeline has the latest on that.

TfL still matters for London. It manages major roads in the capital, and any automated driving plan for the city will have to deal with it. Tesla reaching out directly, with a public-affairs firm in the loop, shows Tesla wants London's transport authority to see the system in person.

TfL's answer was polite and careful. It wanted a conversation about the technology, its capabilities and Tesla's thinking for London first, and it booked that conversation as a short online call. It did not accept the ride in writing.

For the wider UK picture, see the Tesla FSD (TAD) UK status page, the NAFSDT FOI tracker, and our earlier FOI story on how the UN R171 notice sat in a rarely checked UK inbox.

It looks like Tesla wants London in the car, but TfL wanted to talk first.

Sources

• TfL disclosure log, FOI-2749-2627, Tesla FSD Supervised Testing, published 9 November 2026.
• TfL FOI attachment, RE_ Tesla FSD (Supervised) demo_Redacted.pdf (7 pages). The images above are watermarked excerpts from this PDF.
• TfL response to FOI-2455-2627, 15 October 2026 (refused under section 12).