Electric carmaker Tesla (TSLA.O) CEO Elon Musk said on Monday that the company will offer U.S. customers a month’s trial of its driver-assist technology for free. The company’s flagship Full Self-Driving software will be enabled for the trial on all vehicles capable of it. Previously, it was only available to those who paid for the $12,000 feature.
The move comes amid softening demand and price competition, which has pressured Tesla’s sales and margins. It also follows a series of public safety concerns, including some that have been raised by Consumer Reports and regulatory scrutiny of the automaker’s driver-assistance systems.
Some drivers have complained about the system, which has features that enable vehicles to change lanes, maintain speed, and even parallel park. The company has argued that its system is safe and that drivers should always remain attentive behind the wheel. It has changed the software over time, but it still needs to enable fully autonomous driving.
Tesla is also facing lawsuits accusing it of falsely marketing its driver-assistance features. In September, a California customer filed a class action lawsuit against the company, and the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a federal lawsuit in October over claims that the firm misled investors.
In a bid to boost its appeal, Tesla is offering new and existing owners the chance to try out FSD at no charge. It also requires employees to install and demonstrate the software before handing off cars to buyers in North America. According to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg, Musk ordered staff to give customers demonstrations of the premium driver assistance system, branded as FSD, before they complete a vehicle delivery or service it.
Musk’s announcement followed a tweet he posted on Monday, in which he said, “All U.S. cars that are capable of FSD will be enabled for a one-month trial this week.” The company’s website shows all Model S, X, and Y vehicles as capable of the software.
The system is still a beta version of what the company calls Full Self-Driving, and it requires that the driver always remain attentive and ready to take over. If the driver is distracted, the vehicle will pause or stop to warn the driver. In addition, the software will require the driver to keep hands on the steering wheel if it is not in park or set for manual control. Depending on the settings, the system can also slow down or shut off the engine if it detects a lack of attention for up to three minutes. These limitations are expected to be removed with a future update to the software, which is currently only available on some vehicles with the most recent version of the hardware. Customers can check their vehicle’s current capabilities by using a Tesla mobile app or entering the Settings menu of the vehicle’s display screen.