Tesla Rolls out Enhanced Autopilot

Tesla’s Enhanced Autopilot, a feature rolled out for New Zealand and Australia earlier this month, has just been re-introduced in the U.S. and China.

The system - which will cost about $6000 USD in the U.S., and $4,779 USD in China - acts as a middle ground between Tesla’s Basic Autopilot and Full Self Driving programs.

The Enhanced Autopilot was originally rolled out in 2016. Over time, as upgrades and fixes went out, the systems involved in the Enhanced Autopilot were absorbed by either the FSD or regular Autopilot systems. This re-introduction seems to be in response to criticisms that buying into the FSD is too expensive for most drivers.

The biggest draw for the Enhanced Autopilot is the Navigate on Autopilot and Auto Lane Change systems, which controls the vehicle’s highway driving, from on-ramp to off-ramp - with driver supervision of course.

It was a bit of a given that this release was coming. In his usual style, just after the release of New Zealand and Australia’s program, CEO Elon Musk hinted that other countries were being considered for the Enhanced Autopilot option.

This mid-tier option for Tesla owners is a good way for folks to get in on some of the more advanced features of their EV’s software without having to pay the gigantic $12,000 entry fee - not to mention that all of the features in the Enhanced Autopilot have been tested and used since 2019, albeit in FSD.

Anyways, it’s always good to have more options at different price ranges. Enjoy, Tesla drivers!