Love it or hate it, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) is making some serious waves in the auto world. Sure, it gets a bad rap sometimes, but let’s be real – FSD aka autopilot feature is a game-changer. And now, things just got a whole lot more interesting.
CEO Elon Musk – never one to shy away from disruption – just dropped a bombshell on Twitter (or is it X these days?). First pointed out by Teslarati, Elon is opening the door for other carmakers to license Tesla’s FSD technology. Yeah, that is correct and it can be potentially a big business for the carmaker which has been working and developing the tech for a long time now.
Old players have some catching up to do
The reality is, that driver-assist systems are everywhere these days. Ford, GM, Mercedes – they’re all in on it. But here’s the thing: they’re mostly good for smooth highways. When things get messy in city streets, only the big boys like Waymo and Cruise can compete with Tesla’s FSD (supervised, of course). Let’s be real though, FSD is still a work in progress. If Tesla can iron out the kinks? It’s a potential goldmine for any automaker looking to get ahead in the cutthroat world of cars.
Musk’s masterplan: Tesla as the software king
This FSD licensing idea isn’t totally out of left field. Remember when long-time Tesla fan @WholeMarsBlog floated the idea on Twitter? Imagine this: a car company puts FSD tech in their rides, maybe for free or at Tesla’s cost. Drivers pay to activate the software, and boom, they get all the safety bells and whistles, maybe even cheaper Supercharging rates.
Musk’s response? “Tesla would be happy to do such deals.” But it gets better. Musk hinted that one day, money made from licensing FSD might even be bigger than Tesla’s actual car sales. Talk about a long game!
So, why does this matter? Picture it: more cars with Tesla’s advanced self-driving tech, potentially making the roads safer. Sure, there are hurdles– regulations, refining the tech – but this has the potential to shake the auto industry to its core. Think about it, Tesla could become less a carmaker and more like the Microsoft of the car world. Licensing their software is a whole different way of doing business.
Musk’s Full Self-Driving push to Tesla users
This comes a few days after reports that Elon Musk is doubling down on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta software aiming for wider adoption. The autopilot system, still in the final testing phase, has received a recent confidence boost from Musk, leading to a multi-pronged promotional strategy. To encourage wider testing, Musk-led Tesla is giving away $12,000 worth of a driver-assistance system as a one-month free trial for every customer in the US.
Source: interestingengineering.com