Tesla Extends FSD Trials; More Trials Planned with Major Updates
Tesla has extended the 30-day trial of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised feature for owners, according to an email sent to customers last night, and received by Tesla North.
“Your 30-day complimentary trial of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) has been extended,” Tesla wrote in the email. “Under your supervision, Full Self-Driving (Supervised) can drive your Tesla almost anywhere… It does not make your vehicle autonomous. Do not become complacent.”
The extended trial will now end on November 24, 2024, giving customers additional time to explore FSD’s capabilities. That’s one extra week, since Tesla sent out its original free trial on October 17, 2024.
During Tesla’s Q3 earnings call, CEO Elon Musk said it would continue to give out free FSD trials, for every major update. The trial results in customers subscribing or purchasing FSD, which costs $99 USD per month.
“You don’t expect a fairly normal looking car to have the intelligence enough AI to be able to drive itself, but it does. So we do want to expose that to more people. And so we’re doing every time we have, a significant improvement in the software, we’ll roll out another sort of 30 day trial. So to encourage people to try it again. And we are seeing a significant improvement in adoption. So the take rate for FSD has improved substantially especially after the 10/10 event,” said Musk.
“So there’s no need to wait for a robotaxi or Cybercab to experience full autonomy. We expect to achieve that next year with our existing vehicle line,” added Musk.
Moreover, Tesla has also extended its “Drive Anywhere” package for recent owners of the combo that includes 3 years of FSD, Premium Connectivity and unlimited Supercharging.
Tesla owner Dan Burkland notified Tesla North that, “With the recent FSD trial, @Tesla is in fact extending the end date of the FSD-portion of the package by 1 month (see below). Thanks Tesla for not forgetting about us!”.
FSD Supervised allows Teslas to navigate roads, make lane changes, handle forks, and make left or right turns along a designated route. However, Tesla emphasizes that drivers must stay alert and ready to take control at all times, as the feature is not autonomous. “You and anyone you authorize must use additional caution and remain attentive,” Tesla warned.
For those already subscribed to FSD, Tesla noted, “30 days of free Full Self-Driving capability will be added to your vehicle.”
Tesla clarified that Autopilot and FSD Supervised are advanced driver assistance systems, designed to reduce driver workload while enhancing safety. Tesla’s vehicles, particularly in North America, rely on Tesla Vision’s camera-based system instead of radar to deliver these features.
While Autopilot is standard on all new Teslas, FSD Supervised is offered as an optional package. Both systems require a fully attentive driver to ensure safe operation. Though Tesla aims to make these features more capable over time, it reiterated: “The currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous.”