Tesla emailed Car owners who have not yet purchased the Tesla Autopilot that they now have the option to experience Enhanced Autopilot for 14 days.
According to Tesla, “The Enhanced Autopilot trial provides you with the opportunity to experience our latest driver assistance features for 14 days, at no cost. This includes access to Autosteer, Traffic Aware Cruise Control, Auto Lane Change, Summon and Autopark.”
Owners who are opting into the trial, will be able to activate Enhanced Autopilot trial from their car’s touchscreen. And of-course there will be an option for them to purchase Autopilot functionality at any time during the trial.
How much will the Autopilot trial cost?
The 14-day Enhanced Autopilot trial is free for all Tesla owners who have not yet purchased an Autopilot package. You will have the option to purchase permanent Autopilot functionality via the car’s touchscreen or through your Tesla Account at any time during or after the trial. – Tesla
The cost of the Autopilot depends on whether a customer has an original Autopilot system (Hardware 1) or a car with Full-Self Driving hardware (Hardware 2).
For cars with Hardware 1, capable of original Autopilot, Tesla is asking for $5,000. For cars with Hardware 2, which according to Tesla is full self-driving hardware, Enhanced Autopilot costs $6,000.
What is Enhanced Autopilot?
According to Tesla, Enhanced Autopilot is a suite of advanced driver assistance features designed to improve safety and convenience on the road.
Enhanced Autopilot – Key Features:
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Autosteer – Assisted steering within your lane
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Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) – Cruise control that matches speed to traffic
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Auto Lane Change – Assisted lane changes while driving on the highway
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Summon- Automatically park and retrieve your car
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Autopark – Parallel and perpendicular parking, with a single touch
This is not the first time Tesla is using its software prowess, to reach out to its customers.
Though customers have the option of not paying for Autopilot at the time of purchasing their cars, Tesla delivers the car with full Autopilot hardware irrespective of the customers decision.
Since the cars already have the necessary hardware, they only need activation on the software side. Tesla is smartly using its design advantage to give customers a taste of Autopilot and hoping that it will lead to some sales conversion.
Tesla has made a series of moves in the last few months to enhance its cash flow and reduce spending. The decision to launch Autopilot trial is yet another attempt by Tesla to improve its revenue and margins.
Please do note that Enhanced Autopilot is a driver assistant system, not a system that can drive itself.
Check out the Enhanced Autopilot Trial support page.
Here is the full text of the email:
In the next 24 hours, your Tesla will receive access to a 14-day Enhanced Autopilot trial at no cost.
During the trial, you’ll experience our most advanced driver assistance features, including:
Autosteer – Assisted steering within your lane
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control – Cruise control that matches the speed to traffic
Auto Lane Change – Assisted lane changes while driving on the highway
Summon – Automatically park and retrieve your vehicle
Autopark – Parallel and perpendicular parking, with a single touch
You’ll get a notification to your touchscreen when the trial is ready. If you select ‘Enable’, all Enhanced Autopilot features, including Autosteer and Auto Lane Change, will immediately be activated and available to use.
Please only enable these features if you will pay attention to the road, keep your hands on the steering wheel, and be prepared to take over at all times.
For more information, you can check out the full welcome page at Tesla.com.
