Debating if I should buy FSD or not. It’s quite a lot of money and I just can’t see the benefit.
Anyone have any opinions?
Putting aside any discussion about the
exact timing of when it will become available via a.) software enablement b.) regulatory approval, to me it is a no-brainer that FSD will come eventually.
It will not be in 50 years time, nor in 20. Given
rate of technological development, I think it will be less than 10, hopefully even less than 5 years from now.
Although I see a multitude of societal challenges arising from FSD, to me the benefits far outweigh these negatives, so it is something I want to support in an altruistic sense - we NEED it - ASAP.
I also think that whoever can flick the switch first on FSD, will have a
colossal first mover advantage - more so than Tesla currently enjoys with its EVs.
Iff Tesla is the first to flick the switch and make its cars FSD, as Elon has already indicated, it would not make much sense for Tesla to sell its cars [at current prices]. At that moment, they would become much more valuable to Tesla by using them as "robo-taxis" in their own fleet. So again, iff Tesla is the first, you can be sure that FSD will become more expensive, the closer we get to that point in time and the more confident Tesla grows that it will be able to get there first.
The fact that Tesla has already increase FSD here from originally $7,100 to $8,500
could be the first indication that this process is starting to happen.
Also, keep in mind that from a financial point of view, buying FSD provides a significant boost to Tesla's financial viability. Tesla has not fully recognised payments for FSD, but will only do so as it rolls out more and more FSD functionality. As far as I am aware, there are no numbers out how much impact "Enhanced Summon" will have on FSD revenue recognition, but this and future enhancements could be meaningful and eventually impact on Tesla's gross margin - i.e. overall profitability.
The opposing view is that Elon is a snake oil salesman and FSD is a scam, LIDAR is the ONLY way, etc., etc..
I am betting on Elon [tried to get FSD on the weekend, but can not get through to Customer Service. Hope I will still get it enabled before the next price increase].
He promised me a stunning EV 3 1/2 years ago and kept his promise, so while it is a binary outcome with difficult to determine probability of success, based on Tesla, SpaceX, Boring Co., PayPal, etc. etc. track record, my money - literally - is on Elon.
All imho, DYOR