Elon Musk Confirms Tesla Subscription Full Self Driving
A couple of days ago, we reported on a hacker finding some interesting subscription clues in their Tesla’s source code. It seemed as if Tesla was on the verge of releasing a pay-per-month version of Full Self Driving, which would act as an alternative to the $7,000 upfront purchase. Well, according to CEO Elon Musk and CFO Zachary Kirkhorn, the option is indeed coming sometime soon.
Even though the pair stressed this wouldn’t be the most sensible way to buy FSD, since rolling into your loan upfront would likely cost less money, they are still offering the choice to Tesla owners or lessees who didn’t select the upgraded autopilot initially.
Musk did go on to elaborate, saying that the outright purchase of FSD will be the most economic, presumably since it will cost more per month than being rolled into your lease. On a three year payment plan, FSD should cost around $200/month, with the cost going to about $100/month on a five year plan.
I should say, it will still make sense to buy FSD as an option as in our view, buying FSD is an investment in the future. And we are confident that it is an investment that will pay off to the consumer – to the benefit of the consumer. In my opinion, buying FSD option is something people will not regret doing.
At the end of a very successful day for Tesla, this is just another viable source of revenue. If the price of FSD costs more than $100/month, then some people may just try it before upgrading completely, or purchasing a newer model and going all-in. This also could mean a lot for the second-hand market, who presumably wouldn’t shell out as much upfront. Tesla likely will sell more software because of this, as it allows for more consumer freedom, something Musk has been championing as of late.
What do you think? Could you see yourself subscribing to a digital chauffeur?