Tesla nonetheless has no plan to make issues proper for tens of millions of automobile house owners with its ‘HW3’ system, greater than 4 months after it lastly admitted that the {hardware} gained’t assist self-driving.
At this level, the automaker is simply hoping they purchase new automobiles.
We’re approaching the tenth anniversary of Tesla’s promise and sale of self-driving functionality that also doesn’t exist.
The Tesla FSD Timeline
In 2016, Tesla introduced that each one automobiles produced thereafter would turn into able to “Full Self-Driving” with future software program updates.
At the moment, Tesla was producing its automobiles with a brand new self-driving {hardware} suite referred to as “HW2.5” – consisting of cameras, a radar, and a self-driving laptop.
CEO Elon Musk warned on the time that the system would possibly want an eventual laptop improve to realize full self-driving functionality, which he mentioned Tesla would supply at no cost.
In March 2019, Tesla started constructing automobiles with a brand new “HW3” laptop and began upgrading HW2.5 automobiles to the brand new system.
In early 2023, Tesla nonetheless hadn’t delivered on its self-driving guarantees, but it surely began producing new automobiles with a brand new HW4 suite, which included a way more highly effective laptop and new cameras.
On the time, the automaker claimed that this new {hardware} suite would simply allow Tesla to push self-driving capabilities additional and that HW3 automobiles would nonetheless obtain “unsupervised self-driving capabilities” with upcoming software program updates.
Tesla HW3 reaching its restrict
A yr later, we began to report that Tesla gave the impression to be reaching the boundaries of the HW3 laptop.
It took virtually one other yr earlier than Musk lastly admitted that HW3 won’t be able to assist full self-driving capabilities and that Tesla might want to improve the computer systems.
Musk mentioned on January twenty ninth:
I imply, I believe the sincere reply is that we’re going to should improve folks’s {Hardware} 3 laptop for people who have purchased full self-driving, and that’s the sincere reply and that’s going to be painful and tough however we’ll get it achieved. Now I’m form of glad that not that many individuals purchased the FSD bundle.
We are actually greater than 4 months after this assertion, and Tesla has but to disclose a plan to make issues proper for HW3 house owners, a few of whom paid as much as $15,000 for the FSD bundle, and a few bought it so long as 9 years in the past.
As we beforehand reported, the HW4 laptop, because it exists, can’t be put in in HW3 automobiles. It doesn’t have the identical digital camera connectors and general format.
Tesla has beforehand talked a few new HW5 laptop for use within the Cybercab unveiled in October 2024, but it surely’s unclear if that new laptop will have the ability to be retrofitted inside HW3 automobiles.
Electrek’s Take
I believe that if Tesla had deployed FSD with out promoting it as “full self-driving” and promising capabilities, it might be a celebrated main ADAS system.
As a substitute, it’s turning into one of the vital vital liabilities ever.
Tesla has delivered tens of millions of automobiles with HW3, which it mentioned would all be able to self-driving, and lots of of 1000’s of these car house owners purchased the FSD bundle.
Musk claims that Tesla solely wants to switch the computer systems within the automobiles of those that purchased FSD. That’s not true as Tesla promised that each one automobiles delivered since 2016 could be able to attaining full self-driving, and now that this isn’t true, it negatively impacts the worth.
Both manner, even for individuals who purchased FSD, Tesla has no plan for the retrofit but. It’s a multitude.
There are already a number of lawsuits associated to Tesla’s self-driving claims that now embody this example with HW3, along with lawsuits particularly in regards to the problem.
I believe we’re going to see billions of {dollars} in settlements over this, however it’ll take years. Within the meantime, I doubt we will rely on Tesla to do the suitable factor.
HW3 automobiles are barely getting any FSD updates now, and the present model is gentle years away from what was promised: unsupervised self-driving. Making issues proper needs to be Tesla’s high precedence, however as a substitute, Tesla is shifting its focus from delivering its promised capabilities in client automobiles to an inner fleet offering a ride-hailing service in a geo-fenced space with teleoperation assist.
At this level, it’s turning into ridiculous to consider that Tesla will ship self-driving capabilities in virtually 10-year-old automobiles, with or with out {hardware} retrofit. It seems that Tesla is hoping that HW3 house owners will change automobiles.
