Tesla Has Removed This Basic Autopilot Feature, Forcing American Drivers to Sign up for a Subscription.
If you’re planning to buy a new Tesla, your new electric car will be slightly less “smart”—unless you pay for a subscription. According to Elektrek and driver reviews , the company is ditching the basic Autopilot mode that used to be standard on new cars and is now offering buyers a subscription to the full autonomous driving system.
Previously, Autopilot consisted of two minor but useful driver assistance features. The first was adaptive cruise control, which automatically adjusted the car’s speed based on the speed limit and surrounding vehicles, and the second was automatic steering, which helped keep the car centered in its lane. The idea was that when driving on the highway, you could engage Autopilot and essentially let the car drive itself (while, of course, remaining attentive and focused).
Now, the automated steering feature will only be available with a subscription to the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. Adaptive cruise control will remain standard on new cars, but drivers who don’t pay Tesla a monthly subscription fee will now have to make minor corrections from time to time to avoid swerving into oncoming traffic.
Making its cars less “smart” by default is a strange move for a company that wants to appear cutting-edge , although if removing Autopilot increases FSD subscriptions, it will lead to more users driving cars with Tesla’s most advanced self-driving technology. Unfortunately, achieving this goal will come at a significant cost to consumers. A subscription to Full Self-Driving currently costs $99 per month, although a lifetime FSD subscription is available for $8,000 until February 14th.
The exact features you get with the FSD subwoofer depend on what’s legal in your region, but in addition to bringing back Autopilot, the update can also provide parking, entry, and lane-change assistance. However, if all you need is basic functionality, disgruntled drivers point out that discontinued features are still offered as standard on cheaper models from competing brands, such as Toyota.
The decision to introduce a subscription for the Full Self-Driving feature also comes with a promise from Tesla owner Elon Musk that prices for the feature will increase as it improves, though the statement seemed to focus on hopes for a future driverless FSD mode rather than more minor improvements.
In any case, buying a Tesla that lives up to its futuristic marketing promises is becoming increasingly expensive. The company still offers a slightly cheaper “Enhanced Autopilot” add-on service for $6,000 in some international regions , which combines the features of the basic Autopilot with some FSD features, but North American buyers will now have to subscribe.