Tesla CEO Elon Musk said this week that his electric-car company will no longer sell its Full Self-Driving software outright after Feb. 14. Instead, Musk said in a post on his social media network X, "FSD will only be available as a monthly subscription thereafter."
A representative for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
It's 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 assertions about the capabilities of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features.
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Contrary to its name, Full-Self Driving mode does not give a Tesla vehicle complete autonomy.
The software remains available, though the company has recently labeled it "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 for FSD to enable cautious lane changes and leisurely cruising, and made improvements to its self-parking capabilities.