The price for Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” will go up once again on September 5.
If you’re currently shopping for a Tesla, be aware that a price jump is going into effect in two weeks’ time. The prices on the actual vehicles are not changing at the moment, but the cost of the automaker’s “Full Self-Driving” capability is increasing from $12,000 to $15,000, per CEO Elon Musk:
As Musk notes in the tweet above, the now former $12,000 pricing will still be honored on orders through September 5. That structure persists across the entire Tesla range, adding a bit over 30% to the price of a rear-wheel drive Tesla Model 3. On a more expensive Model X, it works out to an extra 12% on top of the base price.
Full Self-Driving is available on a monthly subscription, which currently ranges between $99 and $199 a month. It’s not clear at time of writing whether that is going up as well, though we will come back and post an update if that is indeed the case. Subscriptions do not include the onboard computer required to make it work, however.
It is worth noting that, at the moment, Tesla requires those operating the vehicles to supervise the system. The Full Self-Driving system, despite its name, does not make the vehicle autonomous, as the company notes on its website:
“The currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous. The activation and use of these features are dependent on achieving reliability far in excess of human drivers as demonstrated by billions of miles of experience, as well as regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions. As these self-driving features evolve, your car will be continuously upgraded through over-the-air software updates.“
Tesla’s FSD and Autopilot systems have faced recent and intense scrutiny
As Electrek recently reported, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened 38 special investigations involving Tesla’s advance driver assistance systems. Both Autopilot and Full Self-Driving may be involved in those probes. While some investigations have not yielded concrete evidence against these systems, citing inattentive drivers instead, the agency did launch two investigations into Autopilot.
Regulators have also been applying pressure. The California Department of Motor Vehicles has accused Tesla of misleading customers about Full Self-Driving’s true capability, as well as that of its more basic and widely used Autopilot system.
