Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" option has long been Tesla's most aspirational and controversial feature, but now it seems the electric automaker is backing away from its biggest ambitions. In the wake of changes to Autopilot and "Full Self-Driving" pricing and options, the page describing these two automated driving options on Tesla's website has been significantly modified. These changes were first spotted by TeslaMotorsClub member "lunitiks," who posted images showing the previous language (highlighted in red) and the updated language (highlighted in green) showing just how profound these modifications really are. Most prominently, Tesla has removed the headline language claiming "Full Self-Driving Hardware on All Cars" and replaced it with the fare more innocuous phrase "Future of Driving." Rather than saying "All Tesla vehicles produced in our factory, including Model 3, have the hardware needed for full self-driving capability at a safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver," Tesla now says that "All new Tesla cars come standard with advanced hardware capable of providing Autopilot features today and full self-driving capabilities in the future—through software updates designed to improve functionality over time." This sets the tone for other changes further down the page, and indicates that Tesla is trying to establish a clearer distinction between the current Autopilot capabilities and the as-yet unavailable "Full Self-Driving" capabilities. The decision to remove language about a "safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver" may well reflect the recent debunking of NHTSA's claim that Autopilot reduces crashes by 40%, but what's less clear is why Tesla removed specific mentions of the Model 3.

"lunitiks" on TMC

When it first announced the Hardware 2 suite that gave rise to the "Full Self-Driving" option, Tesla changed the Autopilot to "Enhanced Autopilot." Now, after nearly two and a half years during which "Enhanced" Autopilot failed to offer significant improvements or new features over the original. Tesla is back to just calling it "Autopilot." In the latest language change Tesla has removed language saying "Enhanced Autopilot has begun rolling out and features will continue to be introduced as validation is competed, subject to regulatory approval" and now states "Autopilot advanced safety and convenience features are designed to assist you with the most burdensome parts of driving. Autopilot introduces new features and improves existing functionality to make your Tesla safer and more capable over time." The same list of features continues to appear "Your Tesla will match speed to traffic conditions, keep within a lane, automatically change lanes without requiring driver input, transition from one freeway to another, exit the freeway when your destination is near, self-park when near a parking spot and be summoned to and from your garage." Tesla has also replaced the sentence saying "Every driver is responsible for remaining alert and active when using Autopilot, and must be prepared to take action at any time" in favor of a more prominent and concise statement: "Current Autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous." There are also minor changes to the "Smart Summon" feature, which has been renamed "Enhanced Summon" and now clarifies that it will "come fund you anywhere in a parking lot."

"lunitiks" on TMC