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Tesla re-launches FSD beta transfers, adds Model 3 to Supercharging perk

Credit: @WhatsupFranks/X

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After reports have gone back and forth over the weekend about whether the Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta could be transferred to new vehicle purchases for a limited period of time, Tesla has officially re-launched the incentive. The automaker has also added the Model 3 to its limited-time transfers of lifetime Supercharging, after it was excluded from the perk when announced on Saturday.

Tesla is now allowing free FSD beta transfers on Model S, X, 3 or Y purchases in North America when buyers take delivery before March 31 (via Sawyer Merritt). The news comes after X user Omar of Whole Mars Blog noticed on Saturday that Tesla’s trade-in estimate page showed the ability to transfer the FSD beta to a newly purchased vehicle, including the following message:

“Includes transfer of your current trade-in vehicle’s FSD capability at no cost to you if you take delivery of a new Tesla vehicle by March 31, 2024.”

It’s not clear if the appearance of the offer was some kind of a mistake or glitch, as many suggested, and the sentence was later removed from the page. However, Omar soon shared a follow-up screenshot from a message sent by Tesla, saying that FSD beta transfers would be coming soon after all, and indicating that the company may have decided to re-launch the program after hearing from its customers.

“Coming Soon: FSD Transfer for US Customers,” Tesla wrote in the screenshotted message. “Great news! We have heard our customers’ feedback and are working to relaunch FSD transfers in the United States as soon as possible.”

In a Sunday update from Merritt, however, it appears that Tesla has not only officially re-launched FSD beta transferability, but the automaker will also offer the option for purchases of the new Model 3 in addition to the Model S, X and Y. Additionally, the update noted that the perk would be available in Mexico and Canada, along with being offered in the U.S., though the original message from Tesla only included the latter.

Tesla also launched transfers on free lifetime Supercharging on Saturday for those who take delivery by March 31. Although the offer was previously only available for buyers of the Model S, X and Y, the automaker has now also added the Model 3 to this incentive.

Last year, Tesla initially launched FSD beta transferability for those who took delivery of a new vehicle by September 30, being the first time transfers of the software to new cars were allowed. At the time, the automaker called it a “one-time amnesty,” though it appears that Tesla owners have been vocal about wanting FSD transferability since then.

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Below you can see Tesla’s post about the FSD beta and Supercharging transfers, in which it also confirms that buyers can transfer both. Beneath that, you can see the transfer agreement that comes with the FSD beta transfer.

 

Tesla FSD beta transfer agreement by zacharydvisconti on Scribd

Updated 2/10/24: Added Tesla’s post and the FSD beta transfer agreement.

Tesla FSD Licensing update from Elon Musk: ‘We’ve had some tentative conversations, but ‘they don’t believe it’s real’

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

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Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Tesla Cybercab uses a unique strategy for picking up the right rider

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Credit: ARTSIMAGE | X

Tesla Cybercab is using a unique strategy for picking up the correct rider, which is a crucial part of ride-hailing to ensure people end up in the right place and are charged the correct price.

Cybercab will utilize an RGB strip in its front light bar that will illuminate in a variety of different colors to mark itself.

This identifying mark will also appear in the Robotaxi app, giving riders in the same location a notable distinction in an effort to avoid any confusion regarding who should get in each vehicle.

Other ride-hailing services use similar strategies: Lyft and Uber rides are recognizable through driver identity, vehicle type and color, as well as license plate. Waymo will display the rider’s initials on top of the vehicle, letting them know that the specific vehicle for them has arrived.

Tesla’s strategy is unique and interesting, but there are some flaws. Cybercab’s main purpose is aimed toward being an autonomous ride for all, including those who have disabilities like being blind or even color blind.

Tesla will likely have something in the pipeline for those who cannot see colors or have limited vision. There will definitely be multiple ways to identify which vehicle is the one that “you” specifically ordered.

Cybercab is set to start giving public rides next Thursday, September 3, in Austin, as it announced a dedicated event last week and invited many members of the Tesla community.

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Tesla will launch Cybercab on September 3

Additionally, members of the public will be invited as well. Tesla has been offering employee rides in Cybercab for nearly two months.

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Tesla ends in-house wrap service that always seemed like a short-term program

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has said goodbye to one customization option for its vehicles: the wrap service it launched several years ago.

After launching an in-house wrap service in August 2020 for the first time in China. In the U.S., it launched in October 2023. Tesla continued to expand the program and adjust it with better pricing and fewer options for the Cybertruck.

By December 2023, it was giving owners of the Model 3, Model Y, and the Cybertruck the opportunity to give their vehicle a fresh look with a vinyl wrap.

Tesla revamps in-house vinyl wrap service with better pricing

It was only available in five locations: Costa Mesa, Oceanside, Santa Clara, West Covina, all in California, and Seattle, Washington.

However, Tesla made some big adjustments to its shop, and the wrap service is officially gone:

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Wraps are very popular across the Tesla lineup, especially since the company offers relatively few colors. Many choose to wrap their Teslas with interesting colors, patterns, or even finishes, turning their cars from glossy to satin or matte.

However, Tesla’s wrap service was so limited geographically that it never really had a chance to get off the ground or compete with local shops. Every area in the United States is now overflowing with detailing shops, mobile detailers, and other automotive specialists, many of whom perform wrap services.

Tesla’s service was confined to the Pacific time zone and only spanned across two states. It was never going to be something Tesla was a major competitor in, nor was it going to disrupt the wrapping industry. Now that the program has ended, it seems pretty ideal to believe it was always going to be a short-term thing.

Along with the wrap service, Tesla removed several other products, but nothing too crazy. The Model 3 Door Pocket and Cupholder Liners, the Model S 19″ Magnetite Wheel and Winter Tire Package, Model X/Y Ski/Snowboard Carrier for Hitch Rack, Tesla’s Electric Summer Party Tee, and the Electric Summer Tee were the other items the company totally eliminated from its online shop.

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Tesla Robotaxi fleet gets a brain upgrade ahead of Cybercab launch event

Tesla’s Robotaxi service now runs longer hours nationwide as its unsupervised fleet quietly grows larger.

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Tesla’s Robotaxi service just got easier to catch, with the company’s official Robotaxi account noting that rides are now available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, across its operating footprint. The account also said its unsupervised fleet is “a lot bigger” than before, though without specifics. The bigger change is what Tesla says upgraded intelligence in vehicle distribution and routing is what’s actually cutting wait times, not a new Full Self-Driving version.

While Tesla did not name the team behind the upgrade, the language points to its AI and fleet software group rather than the driving stack itself. Vehicle distribution and routing in Robotaxi has functioned mostly as a dispatch problem with the software deciding which idle car goes to which rider, and how far it has to travel to get there. “Upgraded intelligence” suggests a smarter version of that dispatch logic, likely using demand forecasting to position idle cars near where riders are about to request them rather than reacting once a request comes in. Tesla’s AI division has built similar prediction systems for other parts of the business, including the neural networks that power FSD itself, so applying that same approach to fleet logistics would be a natural extension rather than a new discipline for the team.

Tesla is also about a week away from a separate robotaxi milestone. The company plans to launch Cybercab, its purpose built two seat robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals, in Austin on September 3. Cybercab has been giving employees rides on public and private roads for weeks, and the September event is expected to fold those vehicles into the existing Robotaxi fleet within days of the launch.


Austin previously ran Robotaxi from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. as of last September, a schedule set before the service expanded into Dallas, Houston, Miami, Tampa, Orlando and the Bay Area. Wednesday’s post did not specify whether that extended overnight window still applies in Austin specifically or whether 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. is now the standard across every market. Tesla’s post, visible on its official Robotaxi account, framed the change simply as fewer riders waiting around for a car.

Whether the wider hours hold once Cybercab enters the fleet next week is the next thing worth watching. Tesla has tended to expand Robotaxi in increments, first geofence, then hours, then fleet size, and each step so far has arrived without much advance notice.

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