San Francisco: Elon Musk has hinted that Tesla may bring back “Enhanced Autopilot” for those interested in a more immersive semi-autonomous driving experience than Basic Autopilot, but are unwilling to pay $12,000 for the company’s more advanced Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite.
In early 2019, Tesla removed Enhanced Autopilot as it transitioned all vehicles to receive Basic Autopilot as a standard option with every vehicle purchase, reports Teslarati.
It has become a mainstay for owners in China and Europe, and other regions, but it has not appeared in the US for over three years, the report said.
After Tesla introduced Enhanced Autopilot in Australia and New Zealand earlier this week, Trevor Page, founder of the Model 3 Owners’ blog, suggested Tesla bring back the Enhanced Autopilot program as “FSD is still too expensive for what you get”.
Page went on to suggest Tesla should offer Basic Autopilot for every vehicle, while Enhanced Autopilot would be available for a lower price than FSD as a limited offering. FSD would still be available for purchase at its normal $12,000 tag.
Musk simply replied, “Ok”, hinting the option may be available.
While FSD is among the more advanced Advanced Driver Assistance Systems on the market, it is expensive for the value and is not completed. Musk believes Tesla will complete the FSD suite by the end of the year.
The differences between Tesla’s Basic Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving Suites are considerable, all offering a combination of assistance features that make driving less of a hassle due to increased safety features.
While none of the programmes are fully autonomous, meaning the vehicles cannot drive themselves without human intervention, they are designed to increase safety and reduce the risk of an accident.