Fernand
Active Member
The latest pricing on automation will be IMHO right on, as soon as the full "FSD Beta" features become widely available, i.e. on demand.
As an engineer I can understand why FSD Beta was released initially the way it was, i.e. only to people who are demonstrably willing and able to conform to the most cautious "grandmotherly" driving style. To provide ample opportunity to react to a Beta's inevitable malfunctions. I can also understand why NOA on City Streets has not been immediately available to drivers who exhibit the very lack of restraint, and the road-rage like behavior, that we see from some of the haters here. It is what it is.
It all hinges on FSD Beta. Those who use it are generally happy, as long as they're not obsessed with "levels" or the way FSD was over-optimistically presented in the past. If we look at how other developers of new tech get carried away, it's common to over-promise. It's part of a programmer's mind-set. I've done it myself, blind optimism keeps you going. I don't think there was malice or deceit involved.
No car company offers "Level 5" yet, though in practice what FSD Beta does is good enough for me. I wouldn't want to sleep at the wheel because in a car that's free to drive anywhere, as opposed to geofenced terrain, it turns out there are far more tricky "boundary conditions" to deal with than anyone expected. The "imperfections" may not be entirely surmounted for many years. 100% perfection perhaps never. Humans don't even come close.
The tragedy is that some of those who bought "FSD" early without getting FSD Beta are understandably furious. They went ballistic and stayed ballistic. Moreover, since they don't use FSD Beta, they don't actually know how far along it is. This lack of knowledge, combined with their (easily understood) frustration, creates a demographic of powder kegs who reinforce each other, spread rage and misinformation, and are doing harm to the company.
As to pricing, it will IMHO probably make sense:
Option 1) EAP $6k for the current EAP feature set, meaning Navigate On Autopilot on protected roads, i.e. freeways and other roads with no cross-traffic. Plus (FWIW) Auto-park, Summon etc. Leaving out the "just let me drive" traditionalists, it's a great offering at a fair price.
Option 2) FSD i.e. EAP + $6k = $12k total. Adds Navigate on Autopilot on all roads and on City streets. Not cheap, but it's huge. Anyone who has learned how to best use FSD Beta knows what it can do, and can make an informed decision, picking whichever feature set meets their needs. For me, I think full automation is easily worth 1/4 of the car's value.
How would I know? I recently got my one and only FSD "strike", due to faulty engagement of the in-cabin camera causing spurious "pay attention" errors. Service was great, they replaced the inside camera overnight on a weekend. I can estimate the value of option 2 because If I lost FSD Beta at this point it would easily degrade my Model 3 by at least 25%. I also have a good idea of how ballistic I'd go. Not pretty. Hang on, haters, I might be joining you yet.
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As an engineer I can understand why FSD Beta was released initially the way it was, i.e. only to people who are demonstrably willing and able to conform to the most cautious "grandmotherly" driving style. To provide ample opportunity to react to a Beta's inevitable malfunctions. I can also understand why NOA on City Streets has not been immediately available to drivers who exhibit the very lack of restraint, and the road-rage like behavior, that we see from some of the haters here. It is what it is.
It all hinges on FSD Beta. Those who use it are generally happy, as long as they're not obsessed with "levels" or the way FSD was over-optimistically presented in the past. If we look at how other developers of new tech get carried away, it's common to over-promise. It's part of a programmer's mind-set. I've done it myself, blind optimism keeps you going. I don't think there was malice or deceit involved.
No car company offers "Level 5" yet, though in practice what FSD Beta does is good enough for me. I wouldn't want to sleep at the wheel because in a car that's free to drive anywhere, as opposed to geofenced terrain, it turns out there are far more tricky "boundary conditions" to deal with than anyone expected. The "imperfections" may not be entirely surmounted for many years. 100% perfection perhaps never. Humans don't even come close.
The tragedy is that some of those who bought "FSD" early without getting FSD Beta are understandably furious. They went ballistic and stayed ballistic. Moreover, since they don't use FSD Beta, they don't actually know how far along it is. This lack of knowledge, combined with their (easily understood) frustration, creates a demographic of powder kegs who reinforce each other, spread rage and misinformation, and are doing harm to the company.
As to pricing, it will IMHO probably make sense:
Option 1) EAP $6k for the current EAP feature set, meaning Navigate On Autopilot on protected roads, i.e. freeways and other roads with no cross-traffic. Plus (FWIW) Auto-park, Summon etc. Leaving out the "just let me drive" traditionalists, it's a great offering at a fair price.
Option 2) FSD i.e. EAP + $6k = $12k total. Adds Navigate on Autopilot on all roads and on City streets. Not cheap, but it's huge. Anyone who has learned how to best use FSD Beta knows what it can do, and can make an informed decision, picking whichever feature set meets their needs. For me, I think full automation is easily worth 1/4 of the car's value.
How would I know? I recently got my one and only FSD "strike", due to faulty engagement of the in-cabin camera causing spurious "pay attention" errors. Service was great, they replaced the inside camera overnight on a weekend. I can estimate the value of option 2 because If I lost FSD Beta at this point it would easily degrade my Model 3 by at least 25%. I also have a good idea of how ballistic I'd go. Not pretty. Hang on, haters, I might be joining you yet.
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