Tesla to Stop Including Free 'Streaming' App and Spotify Premium With Premium Connectivity

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Tesla has made changes to its Premium Connectivity offerings in Europe, Australia, and North America. The company will no longer include ad-free music streaming through the “Streaming” app, now called LiveOne. Similarly, in Europe, Tesla used to offer a free Spotify Premium account in the vehicle, but now this account will be limited as well. We initially covered this rumor last week, thanks to an insider’s tip.

These changes will be made as of December 1^st, 2024, and users who previously used Tesla’s Premium Connectivity to avail themselves of either Slacker (Now LiveOne) or Spotify Premium will now be relegated to the free versions of those services.

North America – Streaming/LiveOne/Slacker

In North America, Tesla offered a free Premium subscription to LiveOne (previously known as Slacker) Radio through the “Streaming” app with the orange icon. This subscription wasn’t cheap—$10 USD a month. It offered unlimited song skipping and improved audio quality.

This feature has now been removed, and users will be prompted to sign into LiveOne when they open the Streaming/LiveOne app in their Teslas. Users can either continue to use a free version of LiveOne or sign up for LiveOne Premium to continue using it.

LiveOne Premium will cost $3 USD a month (a discounted price) for Tesla-specific use going forward.

Europe – Spotify Premium

In Europe and Australia, Tesla offered a free Premium subscription to Spotify instead, as part of its Premium Connectivity package. This subscription was actually fairly expensive in comparison to the North American equivalent - $10 USD a month and offered unlimited song skipping and improved audio quality as well.

Just like in North America, this has been removed. Users will have to sign into a Spotify account to continue using Spotify, or they can now use the basic tier of Spotify, which includes ads, limited skips, and some other limitations. A Premium account will be required to use the Premium functionality.

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Lifetime Premium Connectivity

However, these changes do not affect everyone. Tesla used to offer lifetime Premium Connectivity for free with every Tesla purchase before Premium Connectivity was introduced in July 2018. Tesla also offers a lifetime subscription to Cybertruck Foundation owners. These owners will still receive the benefits of either LiveOne or Spotify Premium in their respective regions. These Lifetime plans are guaranteed until the vehicle changes hands – at which point Tesla will also wash its hands of the ongoing cost of paying for that vehicle’s Premium Connectivity.

This set of changes is somewhat disappointing, as it has been a core part of Tesla’s Premium Connectivity for many years. The good news is that users will be able to continue using the same service but with some limited functionality and ads. We’re not sure if Tesla will be bringing a new set of features to make up for this gap or if they’ll be reducing the price of Premium Connectivity to match the reduction in service, but in all likelihood, Tesla just wanted to reduce costs.

There are plenty of competing apps that people use, especially with Tesla recently introducing YouTube Music, Apple Music, and Amazon Music in recent updates. Amazon Prime subscribers can enjoy Amazon Music for free since it’s included with their membership.

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Tesla Confirms Hardware 3 is Robotaxi Ready

Image released by Tesla

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Tesla took to the Hollywood stage at ‘We, Robot’ last week, and lots of interesting new information has been revealed. One of the most interesting items that many people have been wondering about is Tesla’s plan with Hardware 3.

Tesla previously mentioned that there would be a divergence between AI4 and Hardware 3, but so far, Tesla has kept Hardware 3 going strong with code optimization and model improvements. However, it is pretty evident that Hardware 3 is hitting its limits, as Tesla sees that AI4 has much more capability to unlock.

However, they have said they’ll do their best to continue to support the millions of vehicles on the road today running Hardware 3. Tesla’s Cybercab, on the other hand, will be running on AI5, an as-yet-unreleased hardware stack that promises to greatly improve and expand the available compute performance.

Hardware 3 Robotaxi

Lars Moravy, the Vice President of Vehicle Engineering at Tesla, spoke to attendees at We, Robot, and mentioned that Hardware 3 will be Robotaxi capable (at the 7:25 mark). That means that it will be capable of Unsupervised FSD, according to Tesla. Kim Java, a YouTuber focused on Tesla and EVs in general, posted this video featuring her speaking with both Lars, as well as Franz Von Holzhausen, the Chief Designer at Tesla.

Given Lars and Franz both seem confident in the assertion that you can remove a HW3 vehicle’s steering wheel and get it Robotaxi capable, it definitely seems that Tesla intends to continue supporting HW3 well into the future.

So, while Hardware 3 might be reaching its limits, the company's not giving up on it yet. With this, they’ve essentially confirmed that the millions of vehicles with Hardware 3 won't be obsolete anytime soon when it comes to Robotaxi and Unsupervised FSD. 

Tesla is continuing to demonstrate its commitment to its customers and its vision of the future, and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s next on the list.

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Tesla Brings Back FSD Transfer; Offers 0% Financing With FSD Purchase

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Tesla has brought back its FSD transfer offer once again after its We, Robot event. If you already own a Tesla and are planning to buy another one, this is a fantastic opportunity to transfer FSD to your new car.

In addition to that, Tesla has also turned on another interesting offer - 0% financing with FSD, as well as another $0 down option.

FSD Transfer

This time, the transfer period is available for any orders placed on or after October 10th and delivered before December 31st. This offer is currently valid for anyone taking delivery of a new Model S, Model 3, Model X, or Model Y.

While the Non-Foundation Series Cybertrucks are now being configured, this offer appears to exclude the vehicle at this time. If you’re purchasing a non-FS Cybertruck and want to transfer your FSD, we recommend reaching out to your Tesla delivery coordinator through the app to determine if this is possible.

For those receiving the Foundation Series, FSD is included, so the transfer offer is not available. This particular promotion is available in all markets, including North America, Europe, China, Australia, and other markets.

0% Financing

Tesla is now offering 0% financing if you purchase FSD with your vehicle and are approved for the purchase. The catch is that you’ll need to add FSD to your vehicle purchase instead of transferring it. With Tesla’s interest rates hovering around 5-6%, this is a great deal, as you can amortize both the cost of the vehicle and FSD out to 72 months. A loan for $46k at 5.29% over six years would result in almost $8,000 in interest, more than the cost of FSD.

There are a few fine lines though. This is only available in the United States, not anywhere else in the world. In addition, you need to come up with a 15% down payment (which includes the $7,500 USD Federal EV Tax Rebate). This offer is only available on the Model 3 and Model Y - The Model X, Model S, and Cybertruck are not eligible for this offer.

$0 Down

Tesla is also offering $0 down in the United States, for those who qualify for both financing (at 5.29% APR), and the Federal EV Rebate. Essentially, the $7,500 rebate covers your down payment. Once again, this option is only for the Model 3 and Model Y in the United States.

Tesla has been making a push to increase sales and FSD's take-rate. The 0% offer is a great way to increase FSD’s take-rate, as for anything other than the Model 3 RWD LR with short (36mo) financing plans, you’ll actually end up saving money overall due to the 0% financing. 

If you’re interested in picking up a new Tesla, now appears to be a great time to do it.

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