Tesla has long faced questions about the driver monitoring systems it employs to keep people in line when using its advanced assistance systems. Despite that, CEO Elon Musk has mandated that all new Tesla models come with a Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta demo, seemingly ignoring the scrutiny in favor of selling more services to customers.
The Level 2 system requires the driver’s attention all the time but offers a surprising level of autonomy. While this edict might push more people to pay for the feature, it will also give Tesla much more data to study, which will make FSD better. If the new owners do decide to pay for the tech, it costs $12,000 up front or $200 a month. Though we’ve heard a lot about the feature in the news, Electrek pointed out that the data suggests Tesla could be seeing a less than 20 percent take rate for FSD in North America.
Musk also wants delivery workers to take owners on a short test drive to demonstrate FSD and its capabilities. That’s a departure from the current process, which can take just minutes in some cases, with the Tesla delivery driver pointing owners to the instructional videos in the vehicles’ infotainment system to learn how to use the tech.
This move will likely increase Tesla’s profits, but it will also increase its delivery times. The automaker has aggressive sales and delivery targets, so it seems like anything that would slow the process down would be viewed unfavorably, especially as we near the end of the first quarter of 2024.
[Image: Tesla]
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