Tesla (TSLA) removed its Autopilot basic self-driving software as a standard feature in the US on new Model Y and Model 3 purchases as the company pushes its more advanced FSD (full self-driving) subscriptions.
Per Tesla’s website, new orders for Tesla’s entry-level models no longer offer Autopilot as a standard option, now only offering a Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, essentially an adaptive cruise control that allows the vehicle to change speeds when following another car on the highway.
Previously, Autopilot offered Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and auto-steer, which allowed the car to stay centered in its lane and change lanes using the turn signals.
It’s unclear whether Tesla removed Autopilot as it faced a suspension of its dealer license in California stemming from a ruling that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing over claims about Autopilot and FSD. The ruling was stayed for 60 days to allow Tesla time to comply, namely to change marketing practices around the software.
The change comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last week the company would stop charging a one-time $8,000 fee for FSD, pushing instead to a monthly subscription offering of $99 per month, which was already an option.
Musk said late Thursday night the price of FSD could rise as well.
“I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve,” he said on X.com. “The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (unsupervised FSD).”
Pulling Autopilot from Tesla EVs is a notable move considering other automakers, including Toyota, offer such services as standard options in their vehicles. On the flip side, the move to focus on FSD may be the right one considering Autopilot was an older technology and, per Musk dictates, FSD was Tesla’s autonomous future.
Interestingly, one X.com user posited Tesla’s move to pull Autopilot was tied to Musk’s new compensation plan, one that required a milestone of 10 million paying FSD subscribers.
Yesterday, Tesla stock popped when Musk announced the company started robotaxi rides with no safety monitor present in the cars in Austin, a long-awaited move.
Tesla AI head Ashok Elluswamy added on X.com that the service is “starting with a few unsupervised vehicles mixed in with the broader robotaxi fleet with safety monitors, and the ratio will increase over time.”
