[AutonomousVehicles] Tesla launches full self driving mode for $199 a month

[Cornelius Butler]

Hello Fellow Committee Members,

Tesla is now offering a full self driving mode package for $199 a month.
Article link and text are below.

Article Link:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/17/tesla-debuts-fsd-subscription-for-199-per-month.html

Article Text:

Tesla owners can now get ‘FSD’ premium driver assistance for $199 per month

Tesla just introduced a way for customers to subscribe to its premium
driver assistance package for $199 a month, rather than paying $10,000 up
front.

Marketed as Full Self-Driving capability (or FSD), the driver assistance
system does not make Tesla’s electric vehicles safe for use without an
attentive driver behind the wheel.

One eligible owner shared a notice they received from Tesla on Friday with
CNBC, which said:

“Full Self-Driving capability is now available as a monthly subscription.
Upgrade your Model Y ... for $199 (excluding taxes) to experience features
like Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Change, Auto Park, Summon and Traffic
Light and Stop Sign Control. The currently enabled features require active
driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

While this person’s Tesla Model Y possessed all components needed to start
a FSD subscription, other owners lamented that they would have to pay
$1,500 to upgrade their Tesla’s computer to the Hardware 3, or HW3, version
the company first showed off at its Autonomy Day event in April 2019 in
order to subscribe.

Customers who previously bought Tesla’s Enhanced Autopilot package, which
it is not selling any longer, can subscribe to FSD for a lower price of $99
a month but may require the HW3 upgrade.

In a subscription agreement on Tesla’s website, Elon Musk’s electric
vehicle maker cautions that, among other things:

    FSD features are “subject to change, limited by region,” and can only
be used on Tesla vehicles that have newer hardware and Autopilot technology
installed.
    Drivers are responsible for tolls, parking or other traffic violations
that happen in a Tesla that’s operating with FSD features engaged.
    Tesla can increase the price for a subscription any time, but will give
drivers a one-month advance notice before billing them at a new rate.
    Owners can cancel FSD any time but the company won’t prorate their
monthly payment if they do.
    Tesla can suspend or cancel a driver’s FSD subscription if they use the
technology, “for anything unauthorized or inappropriate” or for non-payment.

All newer Teslas include a standard set of driver assistance features
dubbed Autopilot. The Autopilot or standard features enable a Tesla to
“steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane,” according to
Tesla’s website.

The premium FSD package enables more elaborate features like Smart Summon,
which lets a driver call their Tesla to come pick them up from across a
parking lot or down a long driveway using the Tesla mobile app like a
remote control.
Read more about electric vehicles

Tesla has also been promising that a feature called “Autosteer on city
streets” is coming soon to drivers with FSD. But the company is far behind
its original and even revised goals for delivering a sophisticated
“robotaxi.”

Musk promised a hands-free, cross country Tesla driverless demo in 2017.
His company has yet to complete that mission. In 2019, Musk predicted that
Tesla would be making autonomous robotaxis in 2020, and cars without
steering wheels or pedals in 2021.

On a first-quarter earnings call, Tesla CFO Zachary Kirkhorn said, “If you
look at the size of our fleet and you look at the number of customers who
did not purchase FSD up front or on a lease and maybe want to experiment
with FSD, this is a great option for them.” He added, “As the portfolio of
subscription customers builds up, then that becomes a pretty strong
business for us over time.”

To refine unfinished driver assistance features, Tesla gives some owners
early access to a beta version of FSD — effectively turning thousands of
everyday drivers into software testers on public roads in the U.S.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for further information,
including whether FSD subscribers will be eligible to participate in the
FSD Beta program.

In recent months, as CNBC previously reported, Tesla has also been telling
regulators at the California DMV and NHTSA that its FSD, and FSD Beta
technology amounts to a “level 2” system — a reference to vehicle
automation categories written by a professional association for engineers,
SAE International.

According to the SAE’s standards, last updated in May 2021, drivers of a
level 2 vehicle are expected to “constantly supervise” it, including by
steering, braking or accelerating “as needed to maintain safety.” Level 2
vehicles have features like automated lane centering that works in
conjunction with adaptive cruise control. By contrast, a level 4 vehicle
may not need a steering wheel or pedals and can operate as a local,
driverless taxi in limited conditions like fair weather.



-- 
Cornelius Butler
President
Butler New Media, LLC
"Creating A More Accessible World"
http://www.butlernewmedia.com
email: corn at butlernewmedia.com
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