Elon Musk Says Price of Tesla’s FSD Driver Assistance Software Is Rising

The Tesla electric vehicle logo is displayed on a charging bay at a supercharger location in Hawthorne, California, on Aug. 9, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Elon Musk announced on Sunday that the price of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system (FSD) will increase by $3,000 next month, the second time it has risen in price this year.

Musk took to Twitter to announce the cost increase, which comes as the electric vehicle maker began rolling out its FSD Beta software update release version 10.69. Consumers will see the price rise as of Sept. 5, Musk said.

“After wide release of FSD Beta 10.69.2, price of FSD will rise to $15k in North America on September 5th. Current price will be honored for orders made before Sept 5th, but delivered later,” the businessman wrote.

“Note, you can upgrade your existing car to FSD in 2 mins via the Tesla app,” he added.

Every new Tesla vehicle comes with a driver assistance package called Autopilot, which the company says aims to reduce the driver’s overall workload.

That package contains features such as “Traffic-Aware Cruise Control” through which Tesla vehicles can automatically detect stop signs and traffic lights and automatically slow the vehicle down, as well as  “Autosteer.”

These rely on eight external cameras fitted in the vehicle along with “powerful vision processing,” sensors, and various software to ensure the vehicle remains within a clearly marked lane and at the same speed as surrounding traffic.

Cost Increases Continued

However, Tesla’s higher-priced driver assistance package is the FSD, which includes additional features such as “Traffic and Stop Sign Control” and “Navigate on Autopilot” as well as “Autopark” among others.

It also offers a feature called “Smart Summon” which allows drivers to summon their vehicle to come to find them via Tesla’s mobile app, navigating through “more complex environments and parking spaces” as it does so.

FSD, although an upgrade from the standard package that comes with every new Tesla, still requires the driver’s active supervision and does not make the vehicle fully autonomous.

Currently, Tesla’s FSD software costs $12,000 or consumers can purchase a subscription of $199 per month.

Musk did not state if there would be an increase in the monthly subscription fee cost, however the last time Tesla increased FSD prices in January from $10,000 to $12,000, subscription fees did not change.

The Epoch Times has contacted a Tesla spokesperson for comment.

Since Tesla’s FSD system began rolling out in 2019 at a price of $5,000, Musk has regularly increased the price. In 2020 it jumped to $10,000 and in September 2021, it rose again to $12,000.

Tesla uses a “Safety Score“ program, which assesses driver behavior, to determine which Tesla owners can participate in the FSD Beta testing program.

However, that program has come under fire from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which stated in a letter earlier this year that it had yet to gain access to the FSD beta, despite having obtained a good score.

Responding to the letter on Twitter last week, Musk said he would grant NHTSA access to the program.