Weeks after CEO Elon Musk's deadline on a Full Self-Driving (FSD) upgrade, Tesla has now begun rolling out the package with a monthly subscription.
According to The Verge, Tesla offers the FSD at $199 a month, while owners who purchased the discontinued Enhanced Autopilot package would get the subscription at $99 per month, quoting the Tesla support page.
Tesla Cybertruck's Enhanced Smart Features
Musk had also revealed updates to Tesla's Cybertruck, tweeting that the car's doors won't have door handles, Investopedia reported. The vehicle, instead, would just recognize the owner and then open the door. The automaker would retain its original 2019 design but will make some "small tweaks here and there to make it slightly better," Musk further tweeted.
The Cybertruck was launched with a splash in 2019 with an unconventional trapezoidal design and a yoke in lieu of a steering wheel, with glass windows that could withstand gunfire from a 9mm pistol.
For Tesla owners interested in subscribing to FSD, their vehicles need to carry the FSD computer hardware 3.0 or above with Basic or Enhanced Autopilot configurations. Others could only subscribe once they upgrade their computer hardware at $1,500 and make their vehicles FSD-ready.
Tesla has also reminded its vehicle owners that the FSD software does not make their cars drive itself without driver input.
Tesla FSD New Features 'Need Active Driver Supervision'
The FSD subscription includes such features as "Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Changes, Auto Park, Summon, and Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control," according to a notice a Tesla owner received upon subscription. The notice, which the owner shared with CNBC, also emphasized that the features "require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous."
Although Tesla had offered the FSD for a $10,000 one-time fee, a monthly subscription could help users test drive the FSD to determine if it really works or meets their expectations. If not, owners could cancel the subscription at any time, The Verge quoted the Tesla terms on its website.
Musk had promised the FSD subscription for years, with his last remark last month saying the package would be available by end of June 2021. When June passed, Musk further said in a response tweet to a Tesla owner to expect the FSD anytime soon. Tesla then finally started to send out over-the-air software updates for the FSD Version 9 Beta earlier this month.
Tesla Aims for Fully Autonomous Level 5 FSD
Tesla is aiming to deliver a fully autonomous level 5 FSD. Musk had vowed that the FSD will reach Level 5 autonomy by the end of 2021, Roadshow by CNET reported. The goal, Musk said, is to make the FSD "at least 100 percent safer than a human driver" and drive the car anywhere without the need for human intervention under any conditions.
How will Tesla achieve this? The automaker needs to transfer its neural network to utilize surround-view camera footage, and then automate the processing of that video capture, Roadshow by CNET further noted. Tesla is building a supercomputer named Dojo to take on that major task.
Musk even declared that Tesla is open to licensing the technology, from Supercharging to FSD to using the Dojo supercomputer. He mentioned being in discussions with other automakers to license the autopilot and FSD for their own vehicles.
Tesla had also indicated that it won't allow owners to transfer their FSD purchase to another Tesla vehicle.
Tesla had faced a number of recent controversies involving their current autopilot system, including one viral incident in China last month wherein a driver crashed by the roadside using the system.
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