(Credit: Tesla)
Tesla tweaked its Full Self-Driving (FSD) website today, setting the stage for a more fluid monthly subscription model after axing its one-time, $8,000 lifetime access fee this month.
The first footnote on the site previously read, "Price and availability subject to change." Pretty standard. Now, it's much more tentative, reading, "Price reflects monthly subscription, subject to terms and conditions. Price and feature availability subject to change."
The key changes here are the reference to the monthly subscription, which is now the only way you can experience FSD, and adding "features" to the list things subject to change.
It's a subtle warning to drivers that what they get for their money may change over time. The glory days of unfettered access for an up-front fee are officially done, and subscription plans could start to get interesting. Will CEO Elon Musk introduce tiers, as he did with his Grok chatbot, which now comes standard on Tesla vehicles? Perhaps he'll combine subscription offerings at some point, given his track record of combining his companies.
Subscriptions starts at $99/month, but Musk tweeted last month that the price "will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve." This month, all Tesla drivers also lost access to Autosteer, a feature previously standard on all vehicles as part of Autopilot. It kept the vehicle centered in its lane and helped navigate curves, but is now only available with an FSD subscription.
Tesla discontinued Autopilot as a product altogether, possibly as a reaction to pressure from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The state threatened to pull Tesla's license to operate its vehicles in the state, easily its biggest market, if it did not stop using the term Autopilot. The DMV had concluded that the term was misleading and harmful to the public because it implied the car could drive itself, although it could only perform a few automated actions and requires the driver's full attention at all times. (As does FSD.)
"The DMV is committed to safety throughout all California’s roadways and communities," says California DMV Director Steve Gordon. "The department is pleased that Tesla took the required action to remain in compliance with the State of California’s consumer protections."
It's unclear if that's the reason why Tesla killed Autopilot nationally—not just in California—though the company announced the change a month after the California DMV's ruling.