Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Difference between the 2 autopilot options

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
  1. What is the difference between "Enhanced Autopilot" and "Full Self Driving" option CURRENTLY in the model S?
  2. Is AP2 using all cameras or just the front one? Has someone tried the autopilot by taping the side and rear cameras?
 
  1. What is the difference between "Enhanced Autopilot" and "Full Self Driving" option CURRENTLY in the model S?
  2. Is AP2 using all cameras or just the front one? Has someone tried the autopilot by taping the side and rear cameras?

Full self driving is when your car drives you to your destination with absolutely zero-input from you at all. Nobody has this yet because it has not been released via software update (mostly because its not ready yet). Your car is capable of it (supposedly) and a future software update will make it happen. I didn't buy it when i bought my S because i dont feel like spending $3000 on something i can't get yet.

Enhanced autopilot is what you currently see (autosteer, TACC, auto lane change, etc). Eventually more updates are supposed to improve on these features (autosteer on local roads above 35mph, etc) with software updates. As pointed out in a post above, the current autopilot does not use all the cameras. A lot of the rearward facing cameras are mostly reserved for the future self driving features.
 
  1. What is the difference between "Enhanced Autopilot" and "Full Self Driving" option CURRENTLY in the model S?
  2. Is AP2 using all cameras or just the front one? Has someone tried the autopilot by taping the side and rear cameras?
For question 1, the easiest way to explain it is that both options have the exact same hardware pre-installed (8 cameras and self driving supercomputer), it is just that the "Enchanced autopilot" is software limited to not give your car the full self driving capability. That's the reason why you can software upgrade it from "enhanced autopilot" to "full self driving" after delivery.

For question 2, like other pointed out, Tesla currently only use 2 out of the 8 cameras so far. As the software get updated once every few months, the utilization of camera will move from just 2 and slowly to all 8 cameras. Most likely by year end.
 
This is a frequent topic.... Elon has said (yes, we know) that FSD 'will deviate' from EAP sometime between late April and late July of 2017 (according to a tweet in January). He did not say 'FSD will be available'. He said (paraphrasing) that we will be able to tell the difference between a car with FSD and one with only EAP in that time frame.

FSD includes things that are not level 5 self-driving, such as use of the four side cameras, which will give us additional features. So, you can't say 'FSD (only) means that it will drive itself (level 5)'.

What we will really get, when we will get it, how it will really work, those are all up to the usual Tesla interpretation/delivery schedule/etc.
 
Last edited:
At the moment, there is no difference. All HW2 vehicles have yet to even match the capabilities of HW1 cars! Elon has said that the cars will start to deviate sometime in the Summer, but I wouldn't hold my breath. HW2 was supposed to reach parity in December, along with a real 8.1 update, both of which have yet to happen. And he hasn't specified how they'd differ, when they finally do.
It's likely going to be a couple of years until full self driving is available. Even if the technology existed, which it doesn't, laws need to be changed before it could be activated. No idea why anyone would pay for FSD now, since no one knows when any of the features will be activated or what they'll actually do. Once Tesla finally differentiates the two, you can decide if the difference is worth it to you. The hardware is already there, and you can upgrade at any time.
 
  1. What is the difference between "Enhanced Autopilot" and "Full Self Driving" option CURRENTLY in the model S?
  2. Is AP2 using all cameras or just the front one? Has someone tried the autopilot by taping the side and rear cameras?

Full self driving is the full autonomous option that is still in testing. basically your car will drive on its own. Its the same step they took when they launched the tesla without auto pilot but you had the ability to get it as a software update once the beta was ready to go live. So you can now order the car with full self driving so when it is available it will be a software update. if you dont order it now you will still be able to get it down the road but it will cost slightly more.

Sorry if someone explained already, I just read the question and jumped to provide an answer.
 
OK so someone break this down for me... I ordered my car with with Auto Pilot and after waiting 3 weeks my sales person called me and told me they had a cancellation on an order exactly as I had ordered except car had full self driving option. He told me the car was not an inventory car and it just finished building and ready to ship. He offered to "remove" the Full self driving option and I took delivery a week later. The sticker on the car showed the FSD option and the build date was 9/17 as I took delivery on the 16th and the car was ready a few day earlier than that. So the real question is I had thought FSD option included additional cameras? Or is it just a software update? I find it hard to believe they would remove additional cameras? Does my car have 6 cameras? 2 on each side 1 in front and 1 in rear?
 
OK so someone break this down for me... I ordered my car with with Auto Pilot and after waiting 3 weeks my sales person called me and told me they had a cancellation on an order exactly as I had ordered except car had full self driving option. He told me the car was not an inventory car and it just finished building and ready to ship. He offered to "remove" the Full self driving option and I took delivery a week later. The sticker on the car showed the FSD option and the build date was 9/17 as I took delivery on the 16th and the car was ready a few day earlier than that. So the real question is I had thought FSD option included additional cameras? Or is it just a software update? I find it hard to believe they would remove additional cameras? Does my car have 6 cameras? 2 on each side 1 in front and 1 in rear?

They didn't remove any cameras; they just aren't activated. The difference between no AP (mine), EAP (yours), and FSD is all software-- the hardware is all the same.
 
OK so someone break this down for me... I ordered my car with with Auto Pilot and after waiting 3 weeks my sales person called me and told me they had a cancellation on an order exactly as I had ordered except car had full self driving option. He told me the car was not an inventory car and it just finished building and ready to ship. He offered to "remove" the Full self driving option and I took delivery a week later. The sticker on the car showed the FSD option and the build date was 9/17 as I took delivery on the 16th and the car was ready a few day earlier than that. So the real question is I had thought FSD option included additional cameras? Or is it just a software update? I find it hard to believe they would remove additional cameras? Does my car have 6 cameras? 2 on each side 1 in front and 1 in rear?

HW2 (FSD/EAP) vehicles come with 8 cameras irrespective of paying for activation of one or both options (FSD and AutoPilot 2 aka as EAP). Three cameras in the front - two on each side and one in the back.

Sounds like the Tesla Rep was telling you that the available car has Full-Self-Driving activated but may be deactivated if you don't want that feature - with a price reduction for the cost of activation. 3,000 I believe.
 
HW2 (FSD/EAP) vehicles come with 8 cameras irrespective of paying for activation of one or both options (FSD and AutoPilot 2 aka as EAP). Three cameras in the front - two on each side and one in the back.

Sounds like the Tesla Rep was telling you that the available car has Full-Self-Driving activated but may be deactivated if you don't want that feature - with a price reduction for the cost of activation. 3,000 I believe.
Yes it was reduced by 3K...Thanks for clarification
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ghosty