Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite has increased in price by $2,000 from $8,000 to $10,000, as CEO Elon Musk announced last week.
Musk announced the price increase last week on the heels of the FSD Beta release on October 20th, which was released to a select group of owners just two days before his announcement. However, the original date for the price increase was scheduled for Monday, October 26th.
This was until Ryan McCaffrey, host of the Ride the Lightning podcast, asked Musk to reconsider the date. Musk obliged, pushing the date back to October 29th.
You've typically given much more notice than this, which was fair. This doesn't feel like a great thing to spring on your customers who are either trying to plan their initial purchase or upgrading their existing car with only 5 days notice. $2k is a lot of money to surprise with
— Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan) October 22, 2020
As the Full Self-Driving suite’s capabilities continue to expand, Tesla has increased the price several times over the past few years. The most recent hike occurred on July 1st when the price spiked $1,000 from $7,000 to $8,000 after the mass rollout of Traffic Light and Stop Sign Detection in April.
The Full Self-Driving Beta has proven to be Tesla’s most sophisticated and robust version of the software to date. Several videos from those who have received the new capabilities show that the software has become more accurate with its predictions and has operated with more confidence than ever before.
Several videos have proven that Tesla’s semi-autonomous software is likely the most comprehensive on the market. With safer and timid responses to many driving scenarios, the fleet of vehicles that are currently operating with the FSD Beta is improving through the transmittance of information to Tesla’s Neural Network. The Neural Network compiles massive amounts of data, which is collected every time a Tesla is driven, making the cars more accurate and more confident with every mile driven.
While the $10,000 price point for FSD sounds like a pricey option for something that isn’t yet completed, the purchase locks in that price. As Tesla releases more capabilities over the next few years, those who own the FSD suite will not be required to pay additional fees for the new features. Additionally, having the FSD suite increases the car’s value, which is something no other automaker on the market can say.
Musk once commented that a Tesla equipped with the completed FSD could be worth more than $100,000, especially when it rolls out its Robotaxi program. An owner who takes advantage of the ride-hailing service with their all-electric car could make up to $30,000 per year.
To order a Tesla with the FSD capability, visit Tesla.com and enable the “Autopilot” screen option.
