Tesla confirms 285,000 people bought Full Self-Driving

Tesla has confirmed that over 285,000 people bought its Full Self-Driving (FSD) package in North America.

Not 1 million, but more than a lot of people thought.

The Full Self-Driving (FSD) package has evolved over the years with some features coming in and out of the package, but for the most part, it consists of a promise to eventually deliver a fully self-driving system through over-the-air software updates.

For now, it mostly gets you access to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta, which virtually enables the vehicle to do all the tasks related to driving on city streets, but it’s not at a level good enough to be done without driver supervision.

Drivers need to pay attention at all times and be ready to take control.

As we previously reported, people’s experience with FSD Beta varies significantly with some users enjoying it, but many also think that it makes driving more stressful as there are many disengagements.

Tesla has never shared the take rate of its FSD package. With the price varying from a few thousand dollars a few years ago to now $15,000, the take rate has likely changed significantly.

But the automaker has now released the first important piece of information about the popularity of its FSD package.

In a series of tweets today about a recap of its year, Tesla said that over 285,000 people have purchased FSD in North America:

As for the take rate, we can’t confirm exactly how many vehicles with the ability to get FSD that Tesla has delivered in North America, but Electrek estimates that it is over 1.5 million vehicles.

285,000 vehicles would mean about a 19% take rate for the Full Self-Driving package.

Elon Musk has previously said that Tesla had a goal to have 1 million people on FSD Beta by the end of 2022.

Electrek’s Take

As we expected, it’s nowhere near 1 million people, but if I’m being honest, it’s actually higher than I thought.

Especially, if it is around a 19% take rate. I would have expected something closer to 10-15%.

285,000 people at, let’s say, an average price of $8,000 would mean Tesla collected over $2 billion from FSD buyers.

But anyway, it’s not really about how many people bought it. It’s about delivering on its promise that it will eventually truly be a self-driving system, and so far, there’s no clear path to Tesla delivering on that promise.