Experience Full Self-Driving with a Complimentary Month for Tesla Owners

Tesla’s plan to educate owners on controversial system revealed in internal memo.

Tesla drivers who did not choose to purchase the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature for an additional $12,000 will now have the opportunity to test it out at no cost, as long as their vehicle is equipped with the necessary technology. This announcement was made by Elon Musk on X via a brief message. However, it appears that there may be some underlying developments taking place with Tesla’s widely criticized driver assistance system.

According to a confidential memo within Tesla, as reported by Bloomberg News, employees are being directed to install FSD (Full Self-Driving) on all vehicles and to provide customers with a brief test drive to showcase the system. The report from Bloomberg indicates that this directive applies not only to new vehicle sales, but also to existing owners who bring their older cars in for maintenance. Additionally, Musk’s previous announcement regarding X supports this claim. We reached out to Tesla for clarification, but had not received a reply prior to publishing. If we do receive a response, we will make sure to update our article accordingly.

The reason behind this FSD tutorial is not entirely clear, as it could be driven by legal mandates, a marketing incentive, or possibly both. As of December 2023, Tesla has issued a recall for more than two million vehicles in order to implement a software update for its Autopilot system. This update includes stricter controls to prevent drivers from misusing the system.

After conducting a thorough inquiry, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identified an issue with the autosteer feature in Full Self-Driving. To address this concern, a subsequent update was implemented, which included additional prompts for drivers to maintain hands on the wheel and the ability to deactivate the system if it is repeatedly misused.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, the Tesla memo revealed that CEO Elon Musk stated, “almost nobody realizes how well the system works.” He also emphasized that it was a “hard requirement” to educate vehicle owners on this aspect.

Sources: Bloomberg News, Elon Musk / X