Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, announced via Twitter early Thursday that the price for the Full Self-Driving (“FSD”) capability upgrade for Tesla vehicles will increase by approximately $2,000.

This price adjustment may signal the company’s need to offset the growing disparity between the expenses associated with its electric vehicle components and the costs of the software and services that contribute significantly to the appeal of Tesla vehicles.

It’s important to note that Tesla’s interpretation of “fully self-driving” differs from the concept of a completely autonomous vehicle. As previously detailed by TechCrunch last year when the latest autonomous driving package was revealed, Musk outlined varying levels in Tesla’s evaluation of self-driving technology, clarifying that these vehicles are “capable of autonomous operation but still necessitate occasional supervision and driver intervention.”

Musk communicated through Twitter that Tesla intends to release a beta version of its self-driving functionality late Tuesday night, preceding the company’s announcement of its third quarter financial results.

The introduction of more advanced autonomous features from Tesla is occurring almost a year beyond Musk’s initial projections. He first discussed the fully self-driving system during the company’s third quarter earnings call in 2019, suggesting a potential beta release before the year’s end.

“Although the timeline is ambitious, it appears we are on track to deliver an early-access release of a fully featured self-driving system this year,” Musk stated at that time.

Following the price increase, the FSD system—an advancement beyond Tesla’s initial Autopilot package—will be available for an additional $10,000. This upgrade includes features like “Summon” and “Navigate on Autopilot,” which allows a vehicle to navigate highways from entrance to exit, managing interchanges and lane changes.

Tesla continues to refine both the Autopilot and the broader FSD system through ongoing software updates delivered wirelessly to vehicles. The company anticipates that the navigation system will soon be able to recognize and respond to traffic signals, stop signs, and other road conditions while operating on city streets.