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| Tesla offers full self-driving on a monthly subscription |
Tesla is offering customers the option to sign up for an enhanced driver assistance package for $199 per month instead of paying $10,000 up front.
It is sold as a fully autonomous driving system (FSD). However, the driver assistance system does not allow the safe use of electric Tesla cars without an alert driver.
The qualified car owner shared the notice he received from Tesla. “You can now sign up for full autopilot monthly,” he said. “Upgrade your Model Y for $199 to take advantage of automated navigation, automatic lane changes, automatic parking, dialing, traffic lights, stop sign controls, and more. Driver supervision is currently activated and does not lead to automatic driving of the vehicle.
Many car owners are complaining that they have to pay $1,500 to upgrade their Tesla computers to Hardware Version 3, or HW3, which the company first offered to sign up for Autonomy Day in April 2019.
Customers who previously purchased the discontinued Tesla Enhanced Advisor package can sign up for FSD at a lower price of $99 per month. However, you may need to upgrade to HW3.
In the subscription contract on Tesla's website, the electric car maker warned:
- FSD functionality is subject to changes and regional restrictions and can only be used in Tesla vehicles equipped with the latest hardware and proven autopilot technologies.
- Drivers are responsible for tolls, parking, or other traffic violations that occur on a Tesla with FSD capabilities.
- The company can increase the subscription price at any time. But it warns the driver a month in advance before the new tariff is calculated.
- The owner can terminate the FSD at any time. But if that happens, the company won't split their monthly premiums.
- If a driver uses the technology for unauthorized, inappropriate or unpaid behavior, the Company may suspend or cancel their FSD subscription.
Tesla offers FSD for $199 per month
All new Tesla cars have a standard set of driver assistance functions called autopilot.
The autopilot function enables the Tesla to automatically steer, accelerate, and brake in its lane.
The Advanced FSD package supports more subtle features like Smart Recall, which allows drivers to use Tesla mobile apps (such as remote controls) to call their vehicle from a parking lot or pick up a vehicle from a long lane.
The company also promised to deploy FSD Autosteer drivers on the city streets. But the company falls far short of its original and even revamped goal of bringing Autosteer onto the city streets.
Musk promised to bid on a driverless, hands-free Tesla in 2017. His company has yet to complete the task.
In 2019, Musk predicted that Tesla would produce autonomous automated taxis in 2020 and cars without wheels and pedals in 2021.
In order to improve the incomplete driver assistance function, Tesla is allowing some car owners to use the FSD trial in advance.
It has turned thousands of ordinary drivers into software testers on America's highways.
In the past few months, Tesla has notified regulators that its experimental FSD and FSD technologies comply with the Tier 2 system, which refers to the vehicle automation category written by SAE.
Under SAE standards, operators of Tier 2 vehicles must monitor them at all times, including steering, braking or acceleration to ensure safety.
Level 2 vehicles have automatic lane centering and can be used with adaptive cruise control.
In contrast, a level 4 car may not require a steering wheel or pedals. It can be used as a driverless taxi in restricted conditions such as clear weather.