Not even a day after the beta release of the Full Self-Driving 10.69 update, Elon Musk already tweeted that Tesla will raise the price of the FSD software from $12,000 to $15,000 starting from September 5.
This Sunday, the Internet was roaming with videos, photos, tweets, and frankly everything else under the sun, with people testing out the new early access features of Tesla's Full Self-Driving capability. As a quick reminder, the update did not go live for every Tesla owner. The beta rolled out only for a select few, in order for Tesla to improve the software, while people were being driven around by their cars. To get rid of the "bugs," as they say in Silicon Valley.
If you own a Tesla, Elon also tweeted "Note, you can upgrade your existing car to FSD in 2 mins via the Tesla app." Important to mention that for you to be eligible for the FSD subscription, you would need to have a Full Self-Driving computer 3.0 or above, with either Basic Autopilot or Enhanced Autopilot.
The good news is that if you own the Autopilot computer 2.0 or 2.5, you can upgrade to a FSD computer for free, says Tesla's website. It's nothing complicated really, you just go in with your EV, they install a newer chip and the deed is done.
Photo: Tesla
Right now, when you buy (or at least configure) a base Tesla vehicle, it comes with the Autopilot software, which enables your car to steer, hit the "gas" and brake on its own. It also comes with collision warning and blind-spot monitoring. Not too shabby, but for a "meer" $6,000 more, you get the Enhanced Autopilot.
Not quite as advanced as something Tony Stark would drive, but you'd still get Automatic Lane Change on the highway that will navigate your car to the optimal lane. It can also overtake slower cars while preparing for merges or exits. And it warns you beforehand so you don't get startled when your Tesla floors it.
If you don't like how it handles itself in those situations, you could customize the Auto Lane Change options yourself. Furthermore, the Enhanced Autopilot can perform parallel or perpendicular parking with the Autopark option. And last, but not least it comes with the "come here, boy!" Smart Summon, where I'm sure I don't need to explain what it does.
Now, for the full bells and whistles, impress the neighbors option, you're gonna have to fork out another $6,000, to a total of $12,000. However, keep in mind that the price will go up to $15,000 starting from September 5.
Photo: Tesla
However, if you're not sure whether to get the latest and greatest Tesla software for the price of a brand new car or two really good used ones, you might wanna take a look at the subscription-based packages they have. To test the waters, so to speak.
The possibility of a subscription is determined by the car's already existing capability, meaning that it should be newer than the 2014 models or if it went through the 3.0 computer upgrade I mentioned earlier. An upgrade from the Autopilot starter pack to the FSD option will cost you $199 a month. And from the Enhanced Autopilot right up to the 10.69 software update, it will go for $99 per month.
All in all, the price of the software going up isn't anything new. As a comparison to today's price tag, back in 2016, the Enhanced Autopilot went for $5.000 at purchase or $6,000 after delivery. And the FSD option was worth another $3,000 at purchase or $4,000 later on.
Elon claims their overwhelming focus is on solving Full Self-Driving. "That's the difference between Tesla being worth a lot of money and being worth basically zero," Musk said during an interview.
Whether that's true or not is an entirely different matter.
After wide release of FSD Beta 10.69.2, price of FSD will rise to $15k in North America on September 5th.
Current price will be honored for orders made before Sept 5th, but delivered later.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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