From a high of 46 percent, now just 11 percent
FSD feature continues to be in beta testing versions
A new study has taken a look at Tesla drivers to find out just how many are opting for the brand’s Full Self Drive feature. A look at the data, the result of a survey of more than 17,000 owners, shows that the take rate has been falling continuously since the second quarter of 2019.
The survey was done by TroyTeslike (via Inside EVs), a Twitter account that has been tracking Tesla deliveries as well as other company data since 2018. Nearly 18,000 Tesla owners worldwide have responded to the surveys, giving an idea of the take rate for the feature in a number of regions.
The take rate for FSD, according to the survey, peaked at 46 percent of buyers in the second quarter of 2019. Look at just North America and it is much higher, reaching 81 percent for Model S/X and 48 percent for Model 3. Since then, the rate has fallen sharply and is now just 11 percent of buyers in the second quarter of this year. It’s been below 25 percent since late 2020.
That 2019 jump is explained by TroyTeslike as being when FSD was changed from including nothing (it was simply paying for a feature that was promised to become available in the future) to including Enhanced Autopilot (navigate on autopilot, summon, autopark, and lane change) for a higher price.
Here is the worldwide table
FSD take rate jumped in Q2 2019 because Tesla changed FSD from including nothing to including all existing main features. It dropped later because the price increased, ASP dropped and China sales increased where FSD rate is low https://t.co/IhbEPZOQu1 pic.twitter.com/rzZfM4xDPU
— Troy Teslike (@TroyTeslike) August 31, 2021
Sales are likely dropping because the price has continued to increase but the feature is not yet ready for use, a move likely to frustrate tech-savvy buyers looking at a large outlay of cash. It’s now US $10,000 and is still in Beta form. CEO Elon Musk called the last release of the software “not great,” and it is still a hands-on driver assistance feature that requires the driver to be able to take control at any moment with little or no warning. In short, it is not yet full or self-driving.
TroyTeslike estimates that a total of 359,000 buyers have purchased the feature so far.
