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Tesla's Full Self-Driving Beta rolls out to more drivers as Musk reports high demand

CEO Elon Musk said the last beta doubles the number of people who have access to FSD, but a future update will open the tech to 10 times as many drivers.

Tesla Autopilot
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Tesla Autopilot

Access continues to open up.

Tesla

It's been a long road for long-promised Full Self-Driving Mode, even though the system is hardly worthy of its name if you go by the SAE's definition. But those who paid thousands of dollars for the system are starting to see it in their car. Most recently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the latest beta version introduced the system to double the number of drivers currently using it.

Musk said on Twitter this past weekend version 8.2 doubles access to the FSD beta and promised beta version 8.3 will "probably" be 10 times the current size. He also warned people to "be careful" as the system is still "getting mature." Indeed, we took a look at the system when it began trickling out to remind everyone that autonomous cars do not exist today, despite the cool tricks FSD has up its sleeve.

After the CEO's initial tweet on Friday, he followed up Saturday saying the company saw "high levels of demand" and promised to add a "Download Beta" button to the service folder of compatible Teslas in the next 10 days. It's not clear if the button will automatically grant access, or if it puts owners on some sort of digital wait list as Tesla prepares to expand the software beta further. Tesla does not operate a public relations department to field requests for comment.

If you don't have FSD capabilities installed in your Tesla, the software will cost $10,000. However, Musk said this month Tesla will roll out a subscription service for the technology soon, even though an upfront purchase will be cheaper in the long run.

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Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.

Article updated on March 8, 2021 at 6:07 AM PST

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Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
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