Starting this week, Tesla's so-called Full Self-Driving system will now cost buyers $15,000, up from $12,000, or a $199 monthly subscription fee.
But with this price hike, is it any closer to Level 3 systems currently being rolled out by other automakers? A few days ago Tesla CEO Elon Musk said it was his goal to see FSD in wide release by the end of 2022, once again promising Tesla vehicles would be capable of "self-driving."
But the system, still considered to be Level 2 by industry experts (as is Tesla's Autopilot), does not appear to be on its way to becoming Level 3 or Level 4 with its current suite of hardware and software, which permit users to completely divert their attention from the road for minutes or hours at a time, while the earliest cars with FSD that buyers bought years ago are getting older.
At this point, as in years past, it's difficult to pinpoint just what Musk means by "self driving." The company admitted to California regulators over a year ago that FSD is not meant to exceed Level 2 functions, which require drivers to remain alert, monitor the road, and be ready to assume control at all times. Tesla itself in its official instructions requires drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel and to pay attention to traffic-tasks surprisingly similar to just driving-while not promising eyes-off and hands-off capabilities.
"The currently enabled Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous," the automaker says on its website. "Full autonomy will be 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."
These requirements by Tesla make its systems Level 2 by definition, according to industry experts, and therefore a driver-assist system rather than a "self-driving" or autonomous vehicle by widely accepted industry definitions. The Tesla CEO has shied away from the official Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) autonomous driving levels, and does not really talk about Autopilot, FSD, and FSD Beta using that terminology. Likewise, in announcing various software updates, the company has not relied on SAE levels, instead focusing on minute changes to various functions within FSD, and software versions expressed in strings of numbers.
"There are many major code changes, so this will be an extra cautious rollout," Musk tweeted in August, referencing a planned wider release of FSD Beta. "Releasing on 8/20 to ~1000 Tesla owners, then 10.69.1 next week to accommodate feedback & release to ~10k customers, then 10.69.2 week after & release to rest of FSD Beta."
Musk has hinted in the past that FSD itself will become more expensive over time as the system approaches more complete functionality, though once again, it is difficult to tell unambiguously which SAE Level would be reached by Full Self-Driving five years from now, for instance.
Musk has also recently chided one FSD Beta tester for offering feedback regarding the system-ostensibly the purpose of beta testing-prompting him to apologize.
FSD itself is one of several driver-assist systems offered by Tesla. At the bottom rung there is Autopilot, which also exists in Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) form, while FSD occupies the middle rung, and sits just below FSD Beta, which allows some users to test more advanced FSD features. While it is just FSD that is seeing a price hike this month, FSD Beta is slated to become available to any FSD user who requests it by the end of this year, greatly increasing the number of users, but not progressing to an eyes-off, hands-off system akin to Level 3.
"Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving Capability are intended for use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment," the automaker says on its website. "While these features are designed to become more capable over time, the currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous."
It is worth noting that Level 3 systems are currently being rolled out by a number of automakers, while autonomous developers including Cruise are testing Level 4 robotaxis with no one behind the wheel in San Francisco and other cities. Level 3, for instance, does not require constant driver attention or keeping one's hands on the steering wheel, permitting drivers to read and text, but stops short of allowing the driver to nap.