Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature is about to get a lot more… recurring. Elon Musk announced on Wednesday that after February 14, the one-time $8,000 purchase option for FSD (Supervised) vanishes, leaving only the $99 monthly subscription as the way to keep your Tesla pretending it’s smarter than you.
In a move that feels suspiciously timed with Valentine’s Day, Tesla owners have until the holiday of love to decide if they want to commit long-term to a one-time payment—or prepare for a monthly reminder that autonomy is subscription-based. Musk dropped the news on X with his usual brevity: Tesla stops selling FSD outright after Feb 14, shifting entirely to monthly billing thereafter.
The impact hits wallets in stages. For years, Tesla pitched FSD as an appreciating asset—buy now, watch it soar in value as the car supposedly becomes a future robotaxi. Now, that dream gets monthly installments instead of a lump-sum fantasy.
Owners who shelled out thousands upfront might feel a twinge of buyer’s remorse, especially with regulators still peering closely at the system. Meanwhile, casual drivers can dip in and out like it’s Netflix for highways—try it for a month, cancel when the novelty wears off, or when the car still needs you to babysit it through every intersection.
FSD (Supervised) remains exactly what the parentheses promise: a helpful co-pilot that handles lane changes, traffic lights, and city streets, but only while you stay glued to the wheel and pedals. Tesla added the “Supervised” label to passenger cars after safety concerns mounted. The unsupervised flavor? Reserved for quietly moving finished vehicles around factory lots—no humans required, no headlines generated.
Autopilot, the baseline system, still takes care of highway basics: accelerating, braking, lane-keeping. FSD builds on that with more ambitious urban tricks. Yet the NHTSA opened an investigation last year into nearly 3 million Teslas after dozens of reports of traffic violations and crashes tied to the system. Tesla insists supervision is mandatory, and the software evolves through over-the-air updates that keep owners on their toes—sometimes literally.
The subscription shift streamlines revenue for Tesla. No more one-and-done payments; instead, a steady drip of $99 monthly fees from subscribers who want the latest bells and whistles. Early adopters who bought in at higher prices (some paid far more in past years) watch as new users get the same features cheaper over time. It’s the software equivalent of realizing your premium cable package now costs less for newcomers.
Musk offered no elaborate explanation, true to form. The announcement landed like a quiet software update: straightforward, slightly disruptive, and leaving plenty of room for speculation. Owners now face a deadline—commit before the 14th or embrace the monthly life. In the world of electric vehicles, even “full” self-driving comes with fine print and recurring charges.
In a year when everything seems to pivot to subscriptions, Tesla’s FSD joins the club. Your car might drive itself one day, but until then, it’ll politely remind you to renew.
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