The electric vehicle system from the electric car maker Tesla is becoming more expensive. Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted it will cost Americans $15,000, which is a quarter more than the system’s original price.
It is the second time this year that Musk has announced that the price of the software is going up.
The system, which is called Full Self-Driving, now costs $12,000. The price increase will take effect on September 5. In January, about $2,000 was added. According to Tesla, more than 100,000 people were using the trial version of the software at the end of June.
The system has been criticized for some time because it is not fully self-driving and requires continuous supervision. As a result, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has warned consumers using the system in the test phase about transporting real passengers, especially children. In addition, users have already posted messages on social media contradicting criticism that the software would not correctly recognize pedestrians.
The NHTSA has launched two investigations into the software, and Tesla recently set a deadline for responding to questions about it. The traffic regulator focuses particularly on Teslas equipped with the software that collides with stationary emergency service vehicles and Teslas that brake suddenly while driving at high speeds. As a result, Tesla must, among other things, inform the NHTSA before September 19 how alert Tesla drivers are while driving and how the cameras in the cars work.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has already said that Tesla is misleading customers with the system’s name.