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Comment by OopsCriticality | Hacker News Reader

I was surprised to find that the Autopilot feature is a paid $2500 upgrade, according to one source.[0] I'm not surprised that Tesla is charging for the upgrade, but that in all the press and enthusiast coverage of Tesla, I don't recall it being mentioned before.

[0] http://blog.caranddriver.com/elon-take-the-wheel-we-test-tes...

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I may be wrong, but I think that they removed the "Tech Package" option (offered at initial purchase) and now instead offer the "Auto-Pilot Features" option.

I'm not sure if they install the hardware sensors regardless & only control access via software, though, but I'd be curious about this for sure. Anyone know?

IIRC, when the Auto-Pilot hardware/option was originally released the "Tech Package" was a pre-req to buying the "Auto-Pilot" option.

"Tech Package with Autopilot" used to be a $4,250 option including a bunch of small features such as LED cornering lights, fog lights, and a rear trunk that opens remotely. I don't know whether all those differences were actually just access-controlled in software.

For the autopilot features, the difference was only software. Even before the Autopilot option was first available to order in October 2014, cars were being silently shipped with Autopilot-ready hardware for several months. For those cars, it's possible to call up Tesla with a credit card and enable the feature over the phone.

> including a bunch of small features such as LED cornering lights, fog lights, and a rear trunk that opens remotely.

These were moved to the Premium Interior and Lighting Package ($3000).

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