BERKELEY, California, July 17 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc said on Saturday that it has introduced an option for some customers to subscribe to its advanced driver assistance software, dubbed "Full Self-Driving capability", for $199 per month, instead of paying $10,000 upfront.
"FSD capability subscriptions are currently available to eligible vehicles in the United States. Check your Tesla app for updates on availability in other regions," Tesla said on its website.
"The currently enabled features do not make the vehicle autonomous," Tesla said, adding they "require a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment."
Tesla currently charges $10,000 for semi-automated driving features such as lane changing and parking assistance under its full self-driving $(FSD)$ package.
Tesla said the subscription service is available in vehicles equipped with "Full Self-Driving computer 3.0 or above." Tesla told customers that upgrading to the new hardware will cost $1,500.