Tesla has revealed that 285,000 owners have paid the $15,000 subscription fee for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) package. In August, CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla planned to release FSD Beta more widely among its user base. A month later, the software was rolled out to 160,000 Tesla users in the U.S. and Canada.
In a post on Twitter, Tesla has now announced that 285,000 cars now have the FSD Beta package. FSD was previously available only to select drivers who fulfilled certain requirements, such as clocking 100 Autopilot miles and having a Safety Score of at least 80 points. The update is now available to anyone who requests it, provided they're willing to pay the hefty sum of $15,000 to access the beta software.
FSD & Autopilot Are Under Fire
Tesla's driving assistance/safety technology is available in two categories – Autopilot and FSD. While Basic Autopilot comes as a standard package in all cars, Enhanced Autopilot requires a fee of $6,000. The latter brings features like Auto Lane Change, Navigate on Autopilot (Beta), Autopark, Smart Summon, and more. FSD builds on Enhanced Autopilot’s offerings, bringing Traffic and Stop Sign Control (Beta) and Autosteer on City Streets. Both of these are still in beta, which means users are paying a $9,000 premium for features that are still being tested.
Now that nearly 300,000 users have upgraded to FSD Beta, what does this mean for other drivers who want to subscribe but have doubts about its viability? While FSD adds even more autonomy to driving, there have been controversies surrounding its ability to do that. The Dawn Project started a campaign in August to get FSD banned over claims that the technology can't detect children on the road. That move was countered by Tesla customers who tagged the video used in the Dawn Group’s campaign as fake news.
For drivers to get the most out of FSD and Autopilot, strict supervision must always be maintained. Reports of drivers sleeping at the wheel while Autopilot is engaged indicate that many users aren't aware that these systems have limitations. Tesla's Autopilot is already under investigation at the DOJ for its self-driving claims following fatal crashes that occured when the system was engaged. Tesla has also been accused by California's DMV over misleading Autopilot and FSD claims, which means that any accidents or crashes involving either of these self-driving systems could now land the automaker in hot water.
Source: Tesla/Twitter