Tesla Is Offering You a Deal on a Feature You Can’t Fully Use
There is no denying that Tesla’s driver assistance features are some of the best in the business. However, the American carmaker continues pushing to develop a fully autonomous vehicle. Despite this, full self-driving is not currently available despite Tesla selling the feature as an option for new vehicles. To entice buyers toward the end of 2020, RoadShow report that Tesla has decided to throw in a free trial of Full Self-Driving on vehicles sold before December 31st at midnight.
What is the current Tesla deal?
If you hop on Tesla’s website to order your shiny new EV, you’ll see the Full Self-Driving Capability package available for $10,000. This is the same for the Model S, Model Y, Model 3, and Model X. Earlier this year; this package received a price increase of $2,000 despite not offering any new features. Additionally, just below the order button, you’ll find a message that reads, “prices are likely to increase over time with new feature releases.” As a result, this potentially vital feature could see an even greater price bump.
According to RoadShow, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to announce that the carmaker had a brand-new end of year deal. In short, anyone that buys a brand-new Tesla before midnight on December 31st will get Full Self-Driving free for three months. Since the feature can be added after purchase, chances are you’ll be able to keep it for a fee once the free trial runs out. Despite not being fully available, the system does include some fairly useful features.
How does Full Self-Driving work?
While Tesla’s Full-Self Driving isn’t completely available, there are some beneficial core features. The first is the ability to have driver assistance on the highway, even capable of tackling on and off-ramps. The system can also even overtake slower cars on the road. Additionally, the driver assistance system can change lanes automatically while on the highway.
Perhaps one of the most useful features is the ability to park your vehicle in both parallel and perpendicular spaces automatically. On top of that, Tesla rolled out what it calls the “Summon” feature. In theory, this allows the user to request their car via their phone. From there, the car will navigate the parking lot and find the driver. It is worth noting that even members of Tesla’s Forum have reportedly experienced issues with the feature not working properly.
The system’s biggest feature, however, is currently not available. On the carmaker’s site, the Autosteer on city streets feature is listed as upcoming. As a result, you’ll have to pay for the system before it is fully available. At least you’ll be able to test out some of the other features for at least three months before buying.
When will it become available?
As of writing, there is no official timeline for when Tesla will fully release Autosteer for the public. However, according to NBC News, the carmaker is currently beta-testing the system out on the streets. From there, the system will get refined and eventually released to customers. Unfortunately, it may be years before your car’s features become fully available.
