Tesla self driving software to become subscription-only
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced the EV brand’s full self-driving (FSD) software will only be available on a subscription basis from February 14.
Currently, US Tesla owners can purchase FSD (Supervised) for a one-time payment of $8000 or a subscription of $99 per month. It is an autonomous driving assistance system that requires drivers to pay attention and intervene if needed.
At present, the package isn’t yet available in the UK due to tight regulations, but this could be subject to change, as the Government has confirmed plans to introduce self-driving technology on the roads in the near future.
In 2020, Musk announced that the price of FSD would rise as its self-driving capabilities became more advanced. The idea was that drivers would invest in the future of their car eventually becoming fully self-driving through software updates.
The price for FSD started at $5000 in 2019, and increased all the way up to $15,000 in 2022. However, in 2023, Tesla dropped the price of FSD from $12,000 to $8000 and cut the subscription price from $199 to $99 per month – which works out at $1188 per year. That meant drivers would have to subscribe for just less than seven years to break even with the one-time payment.
Musk did not give a reason for removing the one-time payment option.
Tesla is not the only carmaker to offer subscription services to access some features. BMW’s ConnectedDrive provides a number of added extras, such as driving assistance systems, adaptive suspension and stereo upgrades, for varying prices, while Audi’s Functions on Demand uses a similar system. Ford's BlueCruise subscription service unlocks a 'hands-off, eyes-on' autonomous driving system across selected models.
Around 2.88 million Tesla vehicles fitted with the FSD system came under investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last year after there were more than 50 reports of traffic-safety violations and a series of crashes.
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