Tesla owners outraged after Elon Musk reveals he'll 'stop selling' major feature next month
It feels like we're increasingly reaching a point where nothing is actually owned anymore, and Tesla owners will soon experience that as Elon Musk reveals that a major feature within the cars will 'stop being sold' next month.
Despite sales declines and a dwindling public image, it's hard to deny that Tesla remains firmly on top of the electric car industry, and is still the most valuable public vehicle manufacturer in the world.
Key to this is how Elon Musk's company revolutionized the EV space, popularizing the format as not just an environmentally friendly alternative to standard vehicles, but a step into the future for cars in general.
While the cars themselves were 'futuristic' enough as it is, the primary selling point for many was the promise of autonomous self-driving technology, and it has become part of the Tesla brand for a number of years though.
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The implementation has been less than ideal though, as there have been a number of concerning accidents alongside frustrations with some owners who are still waiting for the software they paid for years ago.
That'll soon come to an end though, as Musk revealed a shocking announcement on X detailing that the company will 'stop selling' its Full Self Driving (FSD) tech after February 14, moving to a monthly subscription model thereafter.
FSD is currently available to purchase in two different forms, with an upfront cost of around $8,000 offset by a monthly subscription of $99, but now the former option has been removed entirely.
It would take you around 81 months (or just under seven years) of monthly subscription costs to reach that $8,000 figure, but many would rather have it confirmed for life — especially if they believe that it's the future of driving.
You would presume that anyone who has already purchased FSD outright would maintain their access to the technology, yet closing off that option to any future users has prompted frustration among Tesla fans.
"You'll own nothing and you'll be happy," sarcastically writes one disgruntled user, with another noting that we "subscribe to social media, subscribe to TV, subscribe to Medicare, subscribe to transport services, subscribe to car, subscribe to internet. If air can be rebranded, we might be subscribing to that too."
There are even questions from those still waiting for FSD services they paid for back in 2016, but there seems to be as many answers there as there are for when people will finally get the keys to a Tesla Roadster.