Tesla's Full-Self Driving software is probably the world's most expensive partial-autonomy solution. Tesla would also probably like to think that it's the best.
It seems that Tesla would believe that its latest release, FSD Beta v12.3, is so good, that it wants to push the software to all compatible cars in its U.S. fleet for one month at no cost—likely to stimulate sales. CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X that Tesla would begin pushing the trial of FSD to cars at some point this week.
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FSD Beta v12.3 is Tesla's Best Version Yet
According to critics, owners, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk himself, the latest FSD Beta release is "mind-blowing." Testing by owners shows less stress behind the wheel thanks to smarter and more responsive decisions, as well as fewer disengagements versus previous versions. FSD Beta is still a fully-supervised Level 2 driver assistance software.
The good news for owners is that the one-month trial is coming to them at no cost. FSD is a rather expensive solution, costing $12,000 to purchase outright (a drop from its record high of $15,000) or a $199 monthly subscription.
So why push for a free month of something that would otherwise cost nearly $200 for only a month of use? Tesla is likely hoping that owners will take a taste of its flagship software and want the whole shebang permanently.
The problem is, that software is expensive. Owners have frequently passed on FSD due to the cost alone when picking up a new car. There are other nuances, though, such as FSD being non-transferrable when owners buy a new car (except in some recent promotions where Tesla has sweetened the deal for buying a new car), and features being unavailable due to Tesla ditching its ultrasonic sensors in favor of the camera-only "Tesla Vision."
Just before Musk spilled the news about the FSD Beta trial, a leaked email reportedly revealed that Tesla would begin enabling FSD Beta in new vehicles and take all owners on a supervised demo drive as part of the delivery process. It's very clear that Tesla is either looking to stimulate more sales of FSD, or at the very least, re-establish its footing as an industry leader in partial autonomy for vehicles.
This isn't the first time that Tesla has offered its more advanced vehicle autonomy features as a temporary perk for owners. Previously, Tesla has offered 3 months of FSD as an end-of-quarter incentive for new buyers. Owners who cash in 10,000 referral credits can also claim those 3 months for free. The automaker has also offered a month of Enhanced Autopilot as a holiday incentive in 2022.
Now, the one caveat here is that only cars capable of FSD will receive the beta this week. That likely means both the Cybertruck and refreshed Model 3 Highland will not receive access to the trial this week, as neither vehicle can currently install FSD Beta given their relatively new launch to market. Tesla may change this, though, so if you happen to own either vehicle, stay on your toes.
Most other Tesla vehicles can take advantage of this trial, as all Teslas built after October 2016 are shipped with the hardware necessary for FSD.
