In a post on his social media network X on Wednesday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his electric-car company will no longer sell its Full Self-Driving software outright after Feb. 14. Instead, Musk said, "FSD will only be available as a monthly subscription thereafter."
A representative for Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is unclear what prompted the change. Tesla has been the subject of lawsuits and investigations into its FSD technology, which has been targeted over marketing claims in a dispute with California that could halt sales of Tesla vehicles in the state. In that California case, a judge ruled the company was making misleading claims about the capabilities of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features.
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Contrary to what the name suggests, Full-Self Driving mode does not give a Tesla vehicle complete autonomy.
The software continues to be available, though the company in recent years has labeled it as "Supervised," suggesting that drivers shouldn't treat FSD as a substitute for paying attention to the road. In October, Tesla introduced a "Sloth" speed option to FSD for cautious lane changes and leisurely cruising and made improvements to its self-parking abilities.