Tesla starts email campaign for FSD transfer: demand trigger rather than doing the right thing
Tesla has started a new email campaign to encourage Tesla owners with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) package to upgrade to a new car and transfer the FSD package.
The terms of the transfer and the email campaign make it clear that what CEO Elon Musk presented as an “offer of amnesty” is nothing more than Tesla pulling a demand trigger to boost sales.
Elon Musk once said that Tesla would always strive to do the right thing:
We always try to do the right thing [at Tesla]. We really care about that. When we make mistakes, it’s just because we were being foolish or stupid or whatever.
When he announced last week that Tesla would allow the transfer of an FSD package to a new vehicle, we thought for a second that Tesla would finally be doing the right thing with this situation:
Yeah, this is a question we get asked a lot. So, we’re excited to announce that, for Q3, we will be allowing transfer of FSD.
But it quickly started to sound more like a demand trigger than an attempt to do the right thing.
Musk quickly followed up his statement by making it clear that this is a “one-time” offer that will end by the end of the quarter:
This is a one-time amnesty, so it needs to be — you need to take advantage of it in Q3, but — or at least place the order in Q3 within — within reasonable delivery time frames. So, yeah, yeah, yeah, hope this makes people happy. But want to — I mean, this is a one-time thing, OK?
Tesla has now started to send out an email campaign to owners of the FSD package to advertise the FSD transfer opportunity:
The email and the terms confirm that buyers need to take delivery of a new vehicle by September 30, which is the end of the quarter and the last opportunity for Tesla to recognize a delivered car as revenue.
Here are the eligibility terms:
- Have your new Tesla vehicle delivered between July 20, 2023, and September 30, 2023
- Have ordered your new Tesla vehicle configured with FSD capability
- Be the legal owner and registrant of the current vehicle with Full Self-Driving capability purchased outright
- Have the current vehicle and the new vehicle on the same Tesla Account
- Agree to all additional terms and conditions
Many Tesla owners have been asking for the capability to transfer their FSD package to a new car or be offered a refund because when they bought the package, they were told that it would eventually result in them having a fully self-driving vehicle that would gain value.
Seven years after Tesla made that promise and started selling the package with the promised self-driving capability, the automaker has yet to deliver on it.
Some of those early owners are now looking for a new car, and when they go to trade it in for a new Tesla, the automaker offers them a fraction of what they paid for the FSD package, even though it never delivered the main feature promised under that package.
Electrek’s Take
That’s not the right thing. That’s vaguely disguising a demand trigger as the right thing. The right thing would be an open offer to have the paid FSD package transferred to any new vehicle until Tesla can actually deliver on its promise.
I would also offer refunds to those who want them.
But under its current form, with a deadline at the end of the quarter, this is just like any Tesla end-of-the-quarter incentive. It’s a demand trigger. Tesla is not trying to do the right thing with this move; it’s just trying to sell more cars.
You can’t sell a product, not deliver it, and buy it back from customers for a fraction of what they paid. That’s just not the right thing.
So Elon, were you serious when you said that Tesla always aims to do the right thing? Is Tesla being foolish or stupid or whatever?
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JackRabbit, the maker of pint-sized electric microbikes, is back with a new product designed to quickly recharge their batteries from pure, uncut photons mainlined into an e-bike directly from the sun. In true independent charging form, the Solar Charging Kit from JackRabbit keeps riders rolling even when there’s not a convenient AC outlet in sight.
Unveiled this week, the Solar Charging Kit consists of a single folding solar panel and a tiny voltage converter that is configured to output 42.0V, which is the exact voltage required by JackRabbit’s little e-bike batteries. There’s also an added USB-A and a USB-C charging port for powering other devices in addition to charging JackRabbit batteries.
“This Solar Charging Kit plugs directly into your bike,” explained the company, “letting you recharge without needing an outlet, but with a speed comparable to the charger that comes with the OG/OG2 (42V, 2A).”
That would mean the panel outputs around 80W of solar power, which the company says can recharge its batteries in just three hours. That fairly quick recharging speed is helped by the fact that JackRabbit’s batteries are a mere 151 Wh, or around a third of the size of most e-bike batteries.
If that sounds small, then you’re right – it is. But JackRabbit is all about going micro, offering barely 25 lb rideables that are easy to store and bring on adventures, even when they aren’t actually being ridden.
With small batteries that fit under the 160Wh limit for many airlines in the US, the batteries can be quickly charged and taken to the widest number of locations. And for riders that want to go further than a single 10-mile (16-km) battery will allow, extra batteries are small enough to fit a pants pocket. The company also offers much larger Rangebuster batteries, though they won’t pass by TSA and make it onto an airplane in your personal item.
It sounds like the Solar Chargking Kit should be able to charge up JackRabbit’s large RangeBuster batteries, though likely in more than three hours.
The $349 Solar Charging Kit is a bit pricier than building something similar yourself, but it’s also safer and more convenient than hacking together your own battery charger since it’s designed to work with JackRabbit’s batteries right out of the box.
Technically it’s only inteded for JackRabbit’s micro e-bikes (themselves technically seated scooters, even if they look and feel more like a typical bike), but it’d probably work for just about any 36V e-bike that requires 42.0V to charge.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen solar charging kits for electric bikes, and it’s a trend that is certainly appreciated by outdoors and camping enthusiasts, festival goers, or anyone who finds themself and their bike spending extended periods in the great, sunny outdoors.
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Solar generated 11% of EU electricity in 2024, overtaking coal which fell below 10% for the first time, according to the European Electricity Review published today by think tank Ember.
EU gas generation declined for the fifth year in a row, and total fossil generation fell to a historic low.
“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” said Dr Chris Rosslowe, senior analyst and lead author of the report. “At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s energy transition could be where it is today; wind and solar are pushing coal to the margins and forcing gas into structural decline.”
The European Electricity Review published today by global energy think tank Ember provides the first comprehensive overview of the EU power system in 2024. It analyzes full-year electricity generation and demand data for 2024 in all EU-27 countries to understand the region’s progress in transitioning from fossil fuels to clean electricity.
Wind and solar continue their meteoric rise in the EU
The EU power sector is undergoing a deep transformation spurred on by the European Green Deal. Solar generation (11%) overtook coal (10%) for the first time in 2024, as wind (17%) generated more electricity than gas (16%) for the second year in a row.
Strong solar growth, combined with a recovery of hydropower, pushed the share of renewables to nearly half of EU power generation (47%). Fossil fuels generated 29% of the EU’s electricity in 2024. In 2019, before the Green Deal, fossil fuels provided 39% of EU electricity, while renewables provided 34%.
Solar is growing in every EU country and more than half now have either no coal power or a share below 5% in their power mix. Coal has fallen from being the EU’s third-largest power source in 2019 to the sixth-largest in 2024, bringing the end into sight for the dirtiest fossil fuel. EU gas generation also declined for the fifth year in a row (-6%) despite a very small rebound in power demand (+1%).
The EU is reaping the benefits of reduced fossil fuel dependency
The surge in wind and solar generation has reduced the EU’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and its exposure to volatile prices since the energy crisis. Ember’s analysis found that without new wind and solar capacity added over the last five years, the EU would have imported an additional 92 billion cubic meters of fossil gas and 55 million tonnes of coal, costing €59 billion.
“While the EU’s electricity transition has moved faster than anyone expected in the last five years, further progress cannot be taken for granted,” continued Rosslowe. “Delivery needs to be accelerated particularly in the wind sector, which has faced unique challenges and a widening delivery gap. Between now and 2030, annual wind additions need to more than double compared to 2024 levels. However, the achievements of the past five years should instil confidence that, with continued drive and commitment, challenges can be overcome and a more secure energy future be achieved.”
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe said: “This milestone is about more than just climate action; it is a cornerstone of European energy security and industrial competitiveness. Renewables are steadily pushing fossil fuels to the margins, with solar leading the way. We now need more flexibility to kick-in, making sure the energy system is adapting to new realities: more storage and more smart electrification in heating, transport and industries.”
Read more: China installed a record capacity of solar and wind in 2024 – in numbers
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