Tesla confirms that over 285,000 people have purchased its Full Self-Driving (FSD) package in North America. It isn’t just one million, but more than expected. The FSD package has evolved over the years with some features. The company has promised to deliver a fully self-driving system through over-the-air software updates.
Currently, it mostly gets you access to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta, which virtually enables the vehicle to do all the tasks related to driving on city streets. Still, it’s not at a level good enough to be done without driver supervision. Drivers must always pay attention and be ready to take control. People’s experience with FSD Beta varies significantly with some users enjoying it, but many also think that it makes driving more stressful as there are many disengagements.
Tesla has never shared the take rate of its FSD package. With the price varying from a few thousand dollars a few years ago to now $15,000, the take rate has likely changed significantly. But the automaker has now released the first important piece of information about the popularity of its FSD package. In a series of Tweets, Tesla revealed that over 285,000 people had purchased FSD in North America.
– Continued to ramp vehicle production at Giga Texas & Giga Berlin, with both building 3k Model Y/week in mid-December
– Reached 500k+ Solar Panel & Solar Roof installations 🏘⚡️
– Enabled anyone in North America who has purchased FSD to request FSD Beta, reaching 285k cars total— Tesla (@Tesla) December 29, 2022
Full Self-driving
During an interview at the All-In Summit back in April, Musk said that FSD Beta would go to a wide release by the end of 2022. At that time there were 100,000 testers in the program, but with the wide release Musk predicted it would grow to “probably 1 million people, on that order by the end of the year.” It is unclear why Tesla fell so far short of that estimate. It could be that Musk was, for whatever reason, wrong with his prediction, but missing the number by nearly three-quarters of a million is not a simple rounding error.
One reason could be that not everyone who has purchased FSD Capability (now at $19,600 CAD or $15,000 USD) has requested and installed FSD Beta on their cars. However, this number is likely relatively small compared to the overall population of Tesla owners with FSD Capability. It could also be that Musk was expecting more owners to purchase FSD Capability, but the recent price increase may have tempered the number of people buying the package. Regardless of the reason, 285,000 FSD Beta testers are a big accomplishment for Tesla, and that number should grow significantly higher next year as we expect FSD Beta to expand outside of North America in 2023.