AUSTIN (US), Jan 14 — Tesla CEO Elon Musk said today that the electric vehicle maker’s full self-driving (FSD) software will only be available as a monthly subscription after February 14.

Currently, Tesla allows its electric vehicle owners to purchase FSD (Supervised) for a one-time payment of US$8,000 or a subscription of US$99 per month in the US.

FSD is an assistance system that requires drivers to pay attention and intervene if needed.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last year opened an investigation into 2.88 million Tesla vehicles equipped with its FSD system, based on more than 50 reports of traffic-safety violations and a series of crashes.

Tesla has added the term “Supervised” for FSD in passenger vehicles. It uses an unsupervised version of the software when moving cars from assembly lines to delivery lots at some of its factories.

Autopilot helps Tesla vehicles accelerate, brake, and stay in lanes on highways. FSD enables vehicles to change lanes and obey traffic signals on city streets. — Reuters