Tesla CEO Elon Musk appears to have given a subtle nod to the idea of more affordable Full Self-Driving (FSD) monthly subscriptions. A cheaper monthly rate for FSD would likely increase the take rate for the advanced driver-assist system’s subscription service.
Musk’s apparent nod to a cheaper FSD subscription was observed by Tesla enthusiasts on social media platform X, several of whom noted that the CEO had liked a post from an EV advocate stating that the take rate for FSD subscriptions would likely see a notable increase if the service was priced at $99 per month. Musk has not removed his like on the Tesla owners’s FSD subscription post as of writing.
Tesla launched FSD subscriptions in July 2021 after much anticipation from the electric vehicle community. At the time, Tesla priced the service at $199 per month for vehicles that only have Basic Autopilot, or $99 per month for vehicles that have Enhanced Autopilot activated. The service was only available for vehicles that were equipped with Tesla’s Hardware 3.0 or above.
The premium pricing of FSD subscriptions in 2021 received polarizing reactions from Tesla owners, many of whom considered the price to be high for what FSD Beta offered at the time. This is not necessarily the case today, as Tesla has started the rollout of FSD (Supervised) V12, which has received notably better real-world reviews from drivers. Simply put, FSD (Supervised) V12 may actually be good enough to warrant a paid subscription.
While Tesla is quick to highlight that FSD (Supervised) does not make its vehicles autonomous, the EV maker and its CEO have been doubling down on promoting the advanced driver-assist system to new and existing EV owners. Musk has made FSD (Supervised) test rides part of Tesla’s vehicle delivery process, and the company has rolled out a free trial program for FSD (Supervised) to qualified vehicles in its existing fleet.
Tesla’s FSD program has achieved notable milestones as of late. Just recently, the official Tesla AI account on X revealed that FSD users have driven a cumulative distance of over 1 billion miles. This is a notable step towards Tesla’s goal of getting regulatory approval for the advanced driver-assist system. After all, Elon Musk estimated in Master Plan Part Deux that worldwide regulatory approval for autonomous vehicles will likely require about 6 billion miles worth of data.
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