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Elon Musk says Tesla 'full self-driving' option price increase coming

The option currently costs $7,000, but it'll cost another $1,000 in a couple months.

Tesla Model 3 Autopilot
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Tesla Model 3 Autopilot

Autopilot always requires a driver's full attention.

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Tesla's  infamous "full self-driving" option will apparently get a small price hike this summer. Prospective buyers will have to pay around $1,000 more for this option beginning July 1, Elon Musk tweeted on Monday.

At the moment, the full self-driving package costs $7,000, so this would bring the asking price up to $8,000 or so. The exact price is unclear, and Musk did not say if this upcharge will include any new features. A Tesla spokesperson told Roadshow they "don't have anything to share beyond Elon's tweet."

"The FSD price will continue to rise as the software gets closer to full self-driving capability with regulatory approval," Musk added in a subsequent tweet. Musk claims that, at that point, "the value of FSD is probably somewhere in excess of $100,000," for whatever that's worth. Tesla most recently increased the full self-driving price last August.

Despite the name, the "full self-driving" tech does not turn your Tesla into an autonomous car; there are currently no self-driving cars for sale. Instead, FSD works with the car's Autopilot suite and includes a number of features, including automatic lane changes, parallel and perpendicular parking assist, the bring-the-car-to-me summon feature, Navigate on Autopilot highway driving assistance and most recently, automatic traffic light and stop sign control. The next bit of software in the FSD suite will allow the car to automatically steer on city streets, as well.

In March, video surfaced of a Tesla stopping for a red light at an intersection for the first time. Musk's tweet also comes on the heels of Tesla's Fremont, California plant reopening this week, following a bit of controversy regarding the plant restarting without government approval.

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First published May 18.

Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
Steven Ewing
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.

Article updated on May 19, 2020 at 10:53 AM PDT

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Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
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