There are 3 types of driving assistance enhancements available for Australian Teslas in 2022. All of these now rely on Tesla Vision using the 8 cameras located around the car. If you are buying a secondhand Tesla, it is important to note that Tesla's prior to October 2016 will be running Autopilot 1.0 and some features will not be available.
Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self Driving (FSD) are all paid software upgrades and do not need to be purchased at the time of ordering your car. The hardware is the same for all new Tesla purchases and you are able to add these upgrades anytime after you receive your vehicle even if not selected at the time of purchase.
None of these features result in fully autonomous driving and requires the driver to be attentive and keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times. It is best to think of it as advanced cruise control. Enhanced Autopilot and FSD are linked to the car so if you ever sell your Tesla, you won't be able to transfer your purchase to a new Tesla.
Autopilot (included in all Teslas)
This comes standard with all Tesla purchases in Australia and includes:
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Traffic-Aware Cruise Control: Matches the speed of your car to that of the surrounding traffic (activated by pulling down the right hand signal once)
- Autosteer: Assists in steering within a clearly marked lane, and uses traffic-aware cruise control (activated by pulling down the right hand signal twice)
Adjust the cruise control speed by using the right scroll wheel on the steering wheel and adjust the follow distance of the car in front by pressing the right scroll wheel.
Enhanced Autopilot
Cost: $5,100
All the features of Autopilot and:
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Navigate on Autopilot: Actively guides your car from a highway’s on-ramp to off-ramp, including suggesting lane changes, navigating interchanges, automatically engaging the turn signal and taking the correct exit (needs to be turned on: Controls > Autopilot > Navigate on Autopilot)
- Auto Lane Change: Assists in moving to an adjacent lane on the highway when Autosteer is engaged (activated by using the left hand signal in the direction you want to change lane)
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Autopark: Helps automatically parallel or perpendicular park your car, with a single touch (pulling up next to a spot and then putting the car in reverse and pressing the P icon on the screen where the parking spot is)
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Summon: Moves your car in and out of a tight space using the mobile app or key.
- Smart Summon: Your car will navigate more complex environments and parking spaces, maneuvering around objects as necessary to come find you in a parking lot.
Full Self-Driving Capability (FSD)
Cost: $10,100
All the features of Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and:
- Traffic and Stop Sign Control (Beta): Identifies stop signs and traffic lights and automatically slows your car to a stop on approach, with your active supervision
- Upcoming: Autosteer on city streets
Summary
As of 2022 and with the availability of Enhanced Autopilot, there is almost no reason to purchase the Full Self Driving (FSD) package as it offers little value. Tesla have however said that as FSD evolves and upgrades, the cost will increase as more features are added. Fully autonomous driving will still be a long time away for Australia so it is unlikely to be worth the price for now.
The Enhanced Autopilot is probably worth the upgrade to get the Navigate on Autopilot and Auto Lane Change for the freeway and long road trips.
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