"The concept for Tesla's driver-assistance system, Autopilot, has been around for well over a decade. Elon Musk's EV maker has long used the term to describe features like advanced cruise control and auto-steer, all the while admitting that drivers still need to be able to take over at any time. But in light of plummeting sales and shrinking profits, Tesla has killed the feature in the United States and Canada for good."
"To raise much-needed revenue now that car sales have taken a major hit, the company has instead paywalled most of the basic features. Starting on February 14, Tesla owners will need to shell out a steep $99 a month to enable features like autosteer or advanced lane keep assist, something the vehicles were previously capable of without a subscription. (Traffic Aware Cruise Control, however, will remain standard, even without a subscription.) The timing is suspect, to say the least."
Autopilot has been marketed as Tesla's driver-assistance package for over a decade, offering advanced cruise control and auto-steer while requiring driver takeover readiness. Tesla has discontinued Autopilot in the United States and Canada and moved most basic features behind a $99/month paywall starting February 14, while keeping Traffic Aware Cruise Control standard. The company faces federal investigations, hundreds of crashes, dozens of deaths, and multiple lawsuits, including a $329 million wrongful-death settlement. A court found Autopilot branding deceptive and ordered fixes or a potential California sales ban within 60 days, timing that aligns with the subscription rollout.
Read at Futurism
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