The cost of Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) software has increased from $12,000 to $15,000. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, revealed today in a message via Twitter that the new price, which represents an increase of $3,000, will become effective in North America from September 5.
According to Musk, drivers who place an order for a vehicle before September 5th won’t have to pay the new fee. The price increase happens as Tesla starts providing drivers with FSD beta 10.69, which Musk deems “a big step forward.” For now, it is unknown if Tesla intends to increase the $199 monthly cost of its FSD subscription.
With the help of the FSD software, users can utilize Tesla’s Autopilot ADAS to navigate to and from predetermined locations in addition to other driver-assistance functions. FSD doesn’t totally automate a vehicle; instead, it necessitates constant driver involvement and attention to the road with hands on the wheel.
Tesla’s FSD beta cost $5,000 when it first launched, but its price has gradually increased over time. However, Tesla increased the cost to $10,000 when it began offering the FSD beta to a small number of customers in October 2020. Tesla started expanding the beta’s user base in September 2021 by adding a new “request” button, and early this year, they raised the price to $12,000.
In 2019, Musk referred to Tesla cars as “appreciating assets,” implying that their worth will rise as the company introduces new driver-assistance capabilities. Later, Musk stated that as the software approaches complete self-driving capacity with regulatory permission, “the value of FSD” may exceed $100,000.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) accused Tesla of making false or misleading representations regarding the capability of its vehicles to drive themselves earlier this month. The DMV asserts that customers may be misled into believing that the vehicles are capable of operating autonomously by the titles Autopilot and FSD as well as the language Tesla employs to describe them.
Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to look into how Tesla promotes its FSD and Autopilot software in August of last year. Later, Musk received a letter from the two congressmen in which they expressed concerns about Tesla’s driver-assist technology. In response, Tesla claimed that its system could help customers “drive safer than the average driver in the U.S.”