Tesla launches Full Self-Driving in Australia with $149 monthly subscription

Tesla has launched Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in Australia, making it the first right-hand drive market globally where the advanced driver assistance system is publicly available.

The technology is now available for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with Tesla’s HW4 hardware, with customers able to purchase the full package for $10,100 or access it through an upcoming subscription service priced at $149 per month.

The subscription pricing represents a significant cost consideration for buyers, with the monthly fee equating to approximately six years of payments to match the full purchase price.

Rollout and availability

Tesla says eligible customers who have already purchased the Full Self-Driving Capability will receive the feature through an over-the-air update from Thursday morning, allowing them to activate FSD (Supervised) for their commute to work.

The system is available as an optional package for all new Tesla vehicles purchased in Australia, while existing owners of eligible vehicles can upgrade by purchasing the FSD (Supervised) package.

Tesla is making test drives of vehicles with FSD (Supervised) available at Tesla locations across Australia now.

Supervised driving technology

FSD (Supervised) attempts to drive to destinations by following road curves, stopping at and negotiating intersections, making turns, navigating roundabouts, and entering or exiting highways under active driver supervision.

The system maintains speed and following distance from vehicles ahead, slows down and stops at traffic lights and stop signs, and reacts to pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles on the road.

Tesla’s camera-based Tesla Vision system utilises advanced cameras and neural network processing to deliver the technology, with 360-degree visibility to check blind spots and manoeuvre between lanes while avoiding other road users.

Driver monitoring requirements

Despite its name, FSD (Supervised) does not make Tesla vehicles autonomous and requires constant driver attention and readiness to take immediate action.

The cabin camera monitors driver attentiveness when the system is engaged, displaying warnings if drivers repeatedly look away from the road or ignore prompts to apply slight force to the steering wheel.

If warnings are repeatedly ignored, the system disables for the remainder of the drive. Should a driver fail to resume manual steering, the vehicle sounds a continuous chime, activates warning flashers, and slows to a complete stop.

Tesla will suspend FSD (Supervised) access for drivers who receive five “strikeouts” – instances where the system disengages for the remainder of a trip following several audio and visual warnings for inattentiveness.

The launch follows a successful demonstration of FSD (Supervised) in Brisbane and represents Tesla’s expansion of autonomous driving technology into international markets beyond its initial North American rollout.