Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has been teasing a lot for the company the past few months. One of the most anticipated features is Tesla’s Full Self Driving (FSD) subscription service. This would allow people to pay monthly to use the FSD software, rather than spending a lump sum.
Now a new data leak covered by Tesmanian brings rumors that Tesla will be adding some of these new features directly into the Tesla app.
Customers can currently use the Tesla app to control their car’s temperature, windows, lock the doors, buy upgrades such as an acceleration boost, and even have the car drive itself to come pick them up in a parking lot.
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Now it seems the new FSD subscription may be a simple purchase within the app. The payments will be monthly, and customers could cancel at any time. Other features include a weekend and travel mode. There are no details as to what these options entail, but it could be a shorter duration purchase that gives buyers a slight discount for buying more time in bulk.
The app was also found to have options related to Tesla’s insurance offering. Currently, Tesla only offers insurance in California, though the company is working to roll it out nationwide. The code pointing to seeing insurance rates inside the app. Rates would be adjusted based on visible dynamics such as time spent using autopilot, speed, miles driven per day, and plenty of other statistics.
Benzinga’s Take: If Tesla can turn their car OS into an app store-like experience, Tesla could have a real winner. Imagine in-app purchases of games, car features, software updates, and services easy for customers to access.
Tesla could continue to bring in additional revenue long after a car has been sold. These purchased perks could also incentivize owners to purchase a Tesla as their next vehicle, to make sure their in-app purchases are carried over.
(Photo of Tesla Model S courtesy of Tesla.)
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