The price of an accessory that promises self-driving will rise by 25% at once.
The price of an accessory that promises self-driving will rise by 25% at once.
The most interesting feature of Tesla cars, the Full Self-Driving (FSD) accessory that heralds full autonomy, will get a significant price increase in the United States. The accessory pack, which is still in beta, will see a 25 percent price increase, from $12,000 to $15,000. Tesla – boss Elon Musk said about it on Sunday on Twitter .
In the US, FSD already provides partial self-driving to a car under the right conditions, but despite its name, it’s really just an advanced driving assistance that requires the driver to be in full control at all times. In Finland, Teslas can be ordered with fully autonomous driving, which adds traffic light and stop sign recognition to Autopilot equipment, but does not include automatic steering.
According to Musk, self-driving will determine the value of Tesla in the future. Without self-management, the company is almost worthless. Therefore, autonomous cars are expected by Tesla like a rising moon. However, implementation has proven very difficult, so even FSD, which offers partial autonomy, is still in beta testing with a limited number of customers.
The increase in the price of the equipment is related to the 10.69 update of the beta software, the limited distribution of which began over the weekend. This is already the second increase in the price of the FSD equipment package this year. In January, the price was raised from $10,000 to $12,000. The new price is effective September 5th. Musk indicated on Twitter that those who wish can use Tesla’s app to purchase the FSD package that may still be missing from their car at the old price in a few minutes.
Instead of a one-time payment of $15,000, the FSD accessory can also be used as a monthly subscription if desired. Its price depends on the basic equipment of the car. The subscription costs $199 per month for owners of the standard Autopilot and $99 per month for owners of the optional Enhanced Autopilot. It is not yet known whether the increase in price will also affect the monthly subscription fees.
According to CNBC, which reported on the matter, Musk and Tesla intend to expand the beta testing of FSD in North America so that anyone who wants to can join it by the end of this year.