Tesla has discontinued its basic Autopilot driver-assistance system to boost adoption of its more advanced Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software. This follows a California judge’s ruling that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing regarding the system’s capabilities, though the judge stayed the suspension of Tesla’s manufacturing and dealer licenses for 60 days.
New Tesla vehicles will now only come standard with Traffic Aware Cruise Control. Historically, Autopilot combined cruise control with lane-centering features but faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny. Over the years, the NHTSA has linked at least 13 fatalities to the system.
Concurrently, Tesla is shifting FSD from an $8,000 purchase to a $99 monthly subscription. Tesla’s ultimate goal is to achieve unsupervised autonomous driving, evidenced by the recent launch of safety-monitor-free robotaxis in Austin, Texas. Also, CEO Elon Musk’s new $1 trillion pay package is tied to achieving 10 million active FSD subscriptions by 2035.
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