Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is planning to increase the price of self-driving electric cars globally, beginning with a $1,000 increase. The company’s CEO Elon Musk indicated that the self-driving car price will continue increasing as it enhances its technology.
Tesla’s “full self-driving” option to cost up to $100,00
However, musk indicated that the technology the company is adding to the version is worth around $100,000. Tesla has, over the years, approached the self-drive technology differently. The electric-carmaker has refused to employ lidar sensors instead of preferring to use computer vision tech that uses cameras. The company began installing necessary hardware to its cars after the self-driving tech became a software issue.
Interestingly Tesla began pre-selling the “full Self Driving” vehicle package years before planning to avail the tech through software. However, different factions for various reasons have critiqued this bold move. Some believe that the move is confusing to customers who might mistake it that the company currently offers self-drive cars, which is not true.
The company’s “full self-driving” alternative is referred to as autopilot, but it is not autonomous. The autopilot has various features such as parallel parking; summon feature as well as automatic lane changes. The latest features will include stop sign and traffic light control. The FSD will cost around $8,000 as of July 1 when the price increase kicks in.
People question the FSD value
US regulators investigated the company in 2018 after the death of a driver who was using autopilot. But the investigation established that the driver was on a video game on his phone when the accident happened.
Some have questioned the value of the FSD, claiming that the value is way high. One Tweeter user said that the value that Elon is asking for the FSD is insane. The user added that the mission to deliver an FSD is okay, but what Tesla is asking for is much. Currently, Tesla Model 3 goes for around $33,690 for the basic package, but if one goes for autopilot it could cost $40,690.
