News
Starlink provides free service for 30 days in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene
Starlink’s capability to provide fast, reliable connectivity to disaster zones was proven once again when the satellite internet system was deployed in states that were ravaged by Hurricane Helene. To further help communities that were affected by the natural disaster, Starlink has announced its Hurricane Helene Relief program, which offers 30 days of free internet connectivity to areas affected by the Category 4 storm.
While the deployment of Starlink kits to hurricane-ravaged areas such as North Carolina has become an unfortunately political topic, Starlink’s contributions to people who were affected by the storm are undeniable. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, SpaceX announced on X that about 500 Starlink kits have been deployed by private individuals and organizations to help with recovery efforts.
In total, ~500 Starlink kits have arrived, or will arrive shortly, and are being deployed by private individuals and organizations with @SpaceX support to help with the recovery efforts https://t.co/10dur9wr9R— Starlink (@Starlink) October 1, 2024
Separately, FEMA noted in a press release that it had deployed 40 Starlink kits to help with responder communications in North Carolina, with one terminal being deployed per county EOC to assist with communications and continuity of government. FEMA also noted that an additional 140 Starlink kits were being deployed. As of writing, FEMA noted that it has helped provide 67 total Starlink kits to North Carolina, including three terminals for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation and four terminals for critical lifeline locations as determined by the state.”
We are making a system update to allow all Starlinks in the affected areas to work, regardless of payment.
Software update hopefully completed tonight. Tomorrow at the latest. https://t.co/RcSwU54DtL— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2024
Amidst continued efforts to reestablish communication and connectivity in areas affected by Hurricane Helene, a number of private individuals who were donating Starlink kits asked Elon Musk if the satellite internet service could be made free for a period for time in disaster zones. Musk responded to these requests on X, stating that SpaceX was making a system update that would allow Starlink kits in disaster areas to work regardless of payment.
For those impacted by Hurricane Helene, or looking to support response and recovery efforts in affected areas, Starlink is now free for 30 days.
Learn more here → https://t.co/SmoEBQdj1j https://t.co/pfWsdREYMb— Starlink (@Starlink) October 2, 2024
In a later post on X, Starlink’s official account announced the launch of its Hurricane Helene Relief program, which provides 30 days of free connectivity to terminals operating in areas affected by Hurricane Helene. Starlink provided the following terms and conditions, as well as instructions, to new and current users in disaster zones:
Areas affected by Hurricane Helene are currently eligible for 30 days of free Starlink service to help with response and recovery efforts → https://t.co/SmoEBQdQQR pic.twitter.com/FBeBtn8cqn— Starlink (@Starlink) October 2, 2024
Hurricane Helene Relief
Starlink aims to enable anyone impacted by a natural disaster to be able to access internet connectivity.
For those in areas that were impacted by Hurricane Helene, Starlink is available and temporarily offering free service for the first month.
If you are impacted by Hurricane Helene, or are looking to enable rapid assistance for responding to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, and need to access this 30 day free service option, please follow the steps below:
New customers:
- Go to starlink.com/residential
- Enter your address, and click order now
- Select the “Helene Relief” service plan and check out
- Note – Only service areas impacted by Helene will display the “Helene Relief” service option. if you do not see the $0 option, your area is not eligible. If you believe this is in error, please let us know by contacting support.
Current customers activating additional kits purchased from a retailer:
- Go to starlink.com/activate
- Enter your Starlink kit identifier
- Enter your address, click search
- Select “Residential”
- Select the “Helene Relief” service plan and check out
- Repeat for each kit, if adding more than one
- Note – We have temporarily increased the kit limit to 20 kits per residential account. If you need to add more than 20 kits to your account for large account activation assistance for emergency response groups, please contact support requesting Helene assistance.
Current customers:
If you are in need of assistance due to Hurricane Helene as a current customer, please create a support ticket requesting a Helene relief credit. Our teams will evaluate eligibility based on the same impacted areas as above.
Other information to know
- After 30 days, we will move you to a paid Residential subscription, tied the location you are using it in at that time. We will reevaluate as necessary based on conditions in the area. Starlink will notify you as the 30 day mark approaches to remind you of the change.
- There may be limitations on the ability to transfer these kits or continue free service outside of the disaster region. More details will be added here as necessary.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Tesla made a dramatic change to the Online Design Studio to show its plans for Full Self-Driving, a major part of the company’s plans moving forward, as CEO Elon Musk has been extremely clear on the direction moving forward.
With Tesla taking a stand and removing the ability to purchase Full Self-Driving outright next month, it is already taking steps to initiate that with owners and potential buyers.
On Thursday night, the company updated its Online Design Studio to reflect that in a new move that now lists the three purchase options that are currently available: Monthly Subscription, One-Time Purchase, or Add Later:
🚨 Check out the change Tesla made to its Online Design Studio:
It now lists the Monthly Subscription as an option for Full Self-Driving
It also shows the outright purchase option as expiring on February 14 pic.twitter.com/pM6Svmyy8d
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
This change replaces the former option for purchasing Full Self-Driving at the time of purchase, which was a simple and single box to purchase the suite outright. Subscriptions were activated through the vehicle exclusively.
However, with Musk announcing that Tesla would soon remove the outright purchase option, it is clearer than ever that the Subscription plan is where the company is headed.
The removal of the outright purchase option has been a polarizing topic among the Tesla community, especially considering that there are many people who are concerned about potential price increases or have been saving to purchase it for $8,000.
This would bring an end to the ability to pay for it once and never have to pay for it again. With the Subscription strategy, things are definitely going to change, and if people are paying for their cars monthly, it will essentially add $100 per month to their payment, pricing some people out. The price will increase as well, as Musk said on Thursday, as it improves in functionality.
I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve.
The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD). https://t.co/YDKhXN3aaG
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 23, 2026
Those skeptics have grown concerned that this will actually lower the take rate of Full Self-Driving. While it is understandable that FSD would increase in price as the capabilities improve, there are arguments for a tiered system that would allow owners to pay for features that they appreciate and can afford, which would help with data accumulation for the company.
Musk’s new compensation package also would require Tesla to have 10 million active FSD subscriptions, but people are not sure if this will move the needle in the correct direction. If Tesla can potentially offer a cheaper alternative that is not quite unsupervised, things could improve in terms of the number of owners who pay for it.
News
Tesla Model S completes first ever FSD Cannonball Run with zero interventions
The coast-to-coast drive marked the first time Tesla’s FSD system completed the iconic, 3,000-mile route end to end with no interventions.
A Tesla Model S has completed the first-ever full Cannonball Run using Full Self-Driving (FSD), traveling from Los Angeles to New York with zero interventions. The coast-to-coast drive marked the first time Tesla’s FSD system completed the iconic, 3,000-mile route end to end, fulfilling a long-discussed benchmark for autonomy.
A full FSD Cannonball Run
As per a report from The Drive, a 2024 Tesla Model S with AI4 and FSD v14.2.2.3 completed the 3,081-mile trip from Redondo Beach in Los Angeles to midtown Manhattan in New York City. The drive was completed by Alex Roy, a former automotive journalist and investor, along with a small team of autonomy experts.
Roy said FSD handled all driving tasks for the entirety of the route, including highway cruising, lane changes, navigation, and adverse weather conditions. The trip took a total of 58 hours and 22 minutes at an average speed of 64 mph, and about 10 hours were spent charging the vehicle. In later comments, Roy noted that he and his team cleaned out the Model S’ cameras during their stops to keep FSD’s performance optimal.
History made
The historic trip was quite impressive, considering that the journey was in the middle of winter. This meant that FSD didn’t just deal with other cars on the road. The vehicle also had to handle extreme cold, snow, ice, slush, and rain.
As per Roy in a post on X, FSD performed so well during the trip that the journey would have been completed faster if the Model S did not have people onboard. “Elon Musk was right. Once an autonomous vehicle is mature, most human input is error. A comedy of human errors added hours and hundreds of miles, but FSD stunned us with its consistent and comfortable behavior,” Roy wrote in a post on X.
Roy’s comments are quite notable as he has previously attempted Cannonball Runs using FSD on December 2024 and February 2025. Neither were zero intervention drives.
Elon Musk
Tesla removes Autopilot as standard, receives criticism online
The move leaves only Traffic Aware Cruise Control as standard equipment on new Tesla orders.
Tesla removed its basic Autopilot package as a standard feature in the United States. The move leaves only Traffic Aware Cruise Control as standard equipment on new Tesla orders, and shifts the company’s strategy towards paid Full Self-Driving subscriptions.
Tesla removes Autopilot
As per observations from the electric vehicle community on social media, Tesla no longer lists Autopilot as standard in its vehicles in the U.S. This suggests that features such as lane-centering and Autosteer have been removed as standard equipment. Previously, most Tesla vehicles came with Autopilot by default, which offers Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer.
The change resulted in backlash from some Tesla owners and EV observers, particularly as competing automakers, including mainstream players like Toyota, offer features like lane-centering as standard on many models, including budget vehicles.
That being said, the removal of Autopilot suggests that Tesla is concentrating its autonomy roadmap around FSD subscriptions rather than bundled driver-assistance features. It would be interesting to see how Tesla manages its vehicles’ standard safety features, as it seems out of character for Tesla to make its cars less safe over time.
Musk announces FSD price increases
Following the Autopilot changes, Elon Musk stated on X that Tesla is planning to raise subscription prices for FSD as its capabilities improve. In a post on X, Musk stated that the current $99-per-month price for supervised FSD would increase over time, especially as the system itself becomes more robust.
“I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve. The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (Unsupervised FSD),” Musk wrote.
At the time of his recent post, Tesla still offers FSD as a one-time purchase for $8,000, but Elon Musk has confirmed that this option will be discontinued on February 14, leaving subscriptions as the only way to access the system.
Tesla makes big Full Self-Driving change to reflect future plans
Tesla Model S completes first ever FSD Cannonball Run with zero interventions
