People today demand connectivity wherever they go, be it at home, or office. Similarly, demand for connected cars is also growing rapidly. Connected vehicles are those that have access to the internet and other related features. For several years, Tesla has been offering this feature in its cars. But now that the market for connected commercial vehicles is growing it looks likes Tesla is looking to monetize the feature.
The electric car maker has been offering its customers the internet connectivity feature since 2012 with the launch of Model S electric sedan. Tesla built in a 3G cellular connection in all the cars. The in-car WiFi allows the automaker to handle software-related recalls repairs remotely. Reports from Electrek claim that this free in-car WiFi will soon become a paid-service for new owners who buy Tesla cars from July 1st.
Reports from Electrek claim that this free in-car WiFi will soon become a paid-service for new owners who buy Tesla cars from July 1st.
The existing owners of Model S, Model X or Model 3, however, do not have pay for the feature. Though Tesla had announced that in 2014 that internet connectivity in their vehicles would be valid for four years, after which they would be charged for the service. But this latest update from Tesla shows that the existing owners will never have to pay for the internet connectivity.
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Electrek obtained the email that was sent to the company’s sale team that highlights the company’s new cellular connectivity packages for all its vehicles that will be launched across all its market Asia, Europe, and Australia. Tesla is apparently rolling out two different packages — Premium Connectivity package and a Standard Connectivity package. The automaker is yet to decide on the price but says the service could charge customers roughly $100 a year. With Premium Connectivity, car owners can have complete access to in-car streaming music, live traffic conditions as well as satellite maps.
Related: Tesla owners can now remotely limit speed of the car
Well, this not the first time that Tesla is charging owners for services that were once free. One of the most significant perks Elon Musk gave his customers was the supercharging stations that allowed the customers to charge their vehicles for free. But in 2016, Tesla announced its plans to monetize the supercharging station. The new customers were charged for using the supercharging stations. Tesla planned to use the revenue generated from these stations to expand its network.