Tesla sets new standards in autonomy technology and has announced that owners of the Full Self-Driving (FSD)-version to Hardware 3 (HW3) free hardware upgrades if HW3 does not perform as expected. This announcement demonstrates Tesla's commitment to the continuous improvement of its autonomous driving technologies and the satisfaction of its customers.
Free hardware upgrades for HW3 FSD owners
In his Q3 2024 investor call, Elon Musk discussed the future of autonomy at Tesla and also addressed the situation of FSD Hardware 3. Although Hardware 3 was originally envisioned as sufficient for fully autonomous driving, there are Tesla and its engineers are now unsure whether HW3 will meet the safety requirements for unattended FSD. Should this be the case Tesla will upgrade affected vehicles to improved hardware free of charge.
The development of the Tesla hardware
Tesla's journey began in 2016, when Musk announced that all vehicles produced from that point on would be equipped with the necessary hardware for autonomous driving. Despite this ambitious statement Tesla, that the required computing power was higher than initially assumed. Therefore Hardware 3 (HW3) was introduced, a more powerful onboard computer that promised a free retrofit for FSD customers.
Introduction of Hardware 4 (HW4) and future plans
Since HW3 Tesla Hardware 4 (HW4)now known as AI4, has been developed - an even more powerful version of the onboard computer. Unlike HW3, it offers Tesla does not offer free upgrades for HW4, as Musk has stated that HW3 is sufficient for full autonomy and an upgrade to HW4 would not make economic sense. Nevertheless Tesla designed the system to make future upgrades easier, which could point to the development of a hybrid HW3/HW4 computer.
What does this mean for HW3 vehicles?
Should Tesla it is determined that HW3 does not provide the required performance, affected FSD HW3-owners will receive free hardware upgrades. This also applies to owners of earlier models such as the Tesla Model 3 with hardware 2.5, who received a free upgrade to HW3 after purchasing the FSD package. However, the exact timing and conditions for these upgrades are still unclear, as Tesla is still evaluating the performance of HW3.
Technical details of the upgrade
The upgrade includes a new inference computer that provides better and faster processing and an improved FSD experience. Camera upgrades are not planned as the existing cameras in HW3 vehicles are already sufficient. Instead, the upgrade focuses on improving the computing power and decision making of the FSD system to further increase safety and efficiency.
Future prospects and recommendations
With this announcement Tesla once again demonstrates its commitment to providing the best technologies in autonomous driving while ensuring customer satisfaction. For FSD customers on HW3, this is an important assurance that their vehicles will remain at the cutting edge of technology in the future. It is recommended to follow the further developments of Tesla and to find out about possible upgrade options.
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